Montara Blowout (Timor Sea, Australia, 2009) - part 1

Located in the Timor Sea, the Montara Wellhead Platform is 254 kilometres north-west of the Western Australian coast and 685 kilometres from Darwin. 

The Montara Wellhead Platform is approximately 157 km from the Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve & Cartier Island Marine Reserve.

On 21 August 2009, during drilling operations at the Montara Wellhead Platform an uncontrolled release of oil and gas occurred from the H1 well.

 All 69 personnel at the Wellhead Platform were safely evacuated. 

🔥 On 1 November the leaking well was successfully intercepted, however during operations to complete the “well kill”,  fire broke out on the West Atlas rig and the Montara Wellhead Platform.

On 3 November 2009, the fire was extinguished. 

🕐  For a period of just over 10 weeks in fall 2009, oil and gas continued to flow unabated into the Timor Sea, and patches of sheen or weathered oil could have affected at various times an area as large as 90,000 square kilometres.