West Atlas spill operation may take two months

Sweet light crude gas and condensate continues to spill into the Timor Sea from the Seadrill-operated rig, which is under contract to PTTEP Australasia, about 500 nautical miles west of Darwin, following a leak on Friday.

Norwegian drilling contractor Seadrill's 69 employees were safely evacuated from the rig.

The slick remained localised in the vicinity of the rig, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said yesterday.

A Hercules aircraft had applied dispersant and an additional two dispersant-capable aircraft were on standby at Truscott airport to supplement the operation.

A two-nautical mile exclusion zone for the aircraft exists around the rig.

"[AMSA], which is responsible for the clean-up, is doing the best job it can to limit any damage," Mr Albanese told ABC radio.

"It's clear that it's going to take some time for the clean-up to occur, because the rig needs to be capped, and that is a complex operation which will require another rig to come from Singapore.

"That operation will done as soon as possible, but it will take time."

Thai-owned PTTEP said yesterday it could take 50 days to staunch the flow using a second rig, West Triton, currently in Singapore, to drill down and intercept the well hole, then plug it with mud.