Oily slick: ribbons of waxy particles thread through the Timor Sea
- APPEA backs PTTEP's Montara action
- PTTEP profits slide as oil spill weighs
- PTTEP's fourth bid to plug Montara fails
- WWF warns of 'massive' Montara damage
- PTTEP keeps on working to plug its Montara well
- Doubts emerge over Montara spill study
- Montara spill bill hits $5m
- Third try at Montara
- Garrett slams Montara claims
- Montara relief effort makes headway
- PTTEP to try again after plug bid fails
- Montara move
- Delay pushes back Montara relief bid
- PTTEP plodding along on Montara leak
- PTTEP setback at Montara
- 'Montara woes won't hit sales flows'
- PTTEP pays to scan Montara damage
- PTTEP setback again at Montara
- Montara relief well under way
- Montara legal threat 'premature'
- Fears grow for wildlife
- 'Oz should impose WA moratorium'
- PTTEP rubbishes talk of Montara fire
- WWF team weighs up Montara damage
- Montara is on course
- PTTEP prepares to spray Montara
- PTTEP battling slick at Montara
- West Triton tow line snaps
- Montara spill prompts Canberra move
- West Triton on the move again
- APPEA backs bill to tackle Montara spill
- West Triton nears Montara
- West Triton poised to plug Montara
- Aussie government pledges probe into Montara leak
- Montara leak 'may take months to plug'
- Pipelay continues at Montara
- Java Constructor leaves Montara
- PTTEP works on Montara clean-up
- West Triton on its way to Montara
- Glitch delays West Triton sailaway
- Relief well for slick at Montara
- Rudd brands Montara slick 'appalling'
- Delay hits Montara salvage work
- Leak forced evacuation from West Atlas
Montara slick polluting Indonesian waters
Indonesia confirmed today that the slick from the Montara oil spill has contaminated its territorial waters.
Fishermen from the islands of Rote and Sumba had earlier complained that their livelhoods were at risk from the Timor Sea slick, with Rote seaweed farmers claiming the spill had damaged more than 1000 hectares of ready-to-harvest seaweed.
Today, the Environmental Affairs Agency (BLHD) confirmed that oil and condensate from Montara, which lies about 690 kilometres off Darwin in Australia's remote north-west, had reached parts of the Indonesian archipelago.
Alexander Oematan, the head of the East Nusa Tenggara regency's branch of the BLHD, told official news agency Antara: "Based on samples obtained in a survey conducted by BLHD in four different locations (in the Timor Sea) on 23 October, the sea waters (fail) the national water quality standard."
Oematan said water samples collected near the island of Landu had an oily smell, were noticeably turbid and had an oil layer.
He said samples from the islands of Ndana and Tote Ndao were also contaminated.