Oil spill of the WA coast

A devastating oil spill is happening off the north western australia coast. Crude oil began leaking from the West Atlas offshore rig yesterday morning, 250 kilometres north of Truscott in Western Australia. The spill is currently about 30 metres wide and 14 kilometres long and only 100km from the west australian coast.

At this time of year there are baby turtles everywhere in the area and it is very near to an area whales migrate through. The damage could be enormous and there is a very distinct possibility that the leaking rig won't be capped for months as the spill is coming from approximately 2 km's below the surface.

This occurance has only reinforced the belief that there needs to be a much larger scale attempt at protecting this area. It has been proven that there is wider biodiversity than even the 'Great Barrier Reef' and yet nothing is being done to curb mining in the region.

It is absolutely heart breaking especially if like me you love nothing more than spending time on or around this particular area. I have seen first hand the beauty of this region and its wildlife. It is a place to be protected and we need to do more to keep it in pristine condition.




For more information on the area go here

http://www.wilderness.org.au/articles/wa-unique-marine-world