The West Atlas oil slick, repositioned off the NSW coast, would stretch from Wollongong to Port Macquarie.
Montara leak off Australia’s north-west coast
Date: 28-Jun-2010
It was one of Australia’s worst ever oil spills. After a blowout at the Montara wellhead platform in August last year, oil leaked out into the spectacular north-west corner of Australia’s oceans. It took 10 weeks to contain the leak.
The region, which contains some of Australia’s most diverse tropical ecosystems, is an ocean-life superhighway for migrating whales and turtles, and the only known spawning area for the critically endangered southern bluefin tuna.
Satellite images showed the oil slick covered an area almost as large as Tasmania, and spread towards Ashmore Reef, the Kimberley coast and Indonesia.
ACF mapped the Montara oil slick off the coast of Australia’s most populated capital cities, to help people better understand what damage a big oil spill would do to marine areas they know and love.
View the repositioned maps for each state: Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia (Perth).
The report from the Australian Government’s official inquiry into the Montara oil spill was handed to Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson in June. We urge the Minister to release the report’s findings without delay.
Read ACF’s submission to the Montara inquiry »
Act now: Urgent need for marine protection
Trevally shoal
Recent oil spills highlight the need for large marine sanctuaries. We've set up text in an email for you to send to Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to ask for their commitment to marine protection. more »