PTT fails in third bid to plug oil leak

       Thailand's PTTEP Australasia yesterday failed in its third bid to plug a leaking rig that has spilled thousands of barrels of crude into seas off Australia,alarming environmentalists.
       PTT's exploration and production arm said it had missed its target for a relief well around 2.6km below the seabed for the third time this month and would try again in the coming days.
       "The closer we get to the target with each pass the more certain we become of its location," PTTEP Australasia director Jose Martins said.
       The leaking wellhead, about 25cm wide, has been gushing off Australia's northwest since Aug 21 with estimates putting discharge at 400 barrels a day.
       "Setting up for each pass sequence takes between three and four days,"PTTEP said."Implementing the pass sequence must then be undertaken during daylight hours for safety reasons.
       "Once the leaking well is successfully intercepted, heavy mud will be pumped down into the relief well, displacing the oil, gas and water and stopping the flow."
       The spill is reportedly Australia's worst since offshore drilling began more than 40 years ago, and ecologists fear the toxic cocktail of oil and dispersant chemicals could threaten marine and coastal species. Australia's's Environment Minister Peter Garrett this week said PTTEP had agreed to pay for environmental monitoring of the area for at least two years. The Safety Authority said the closest oil patches were 160km from the Western Australian coast and about 190km from the Indonesian coast.