SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia mobilized aircraft on Saturday to try to break up a growing oil slick off its northwestern coast as it struggled to stop a well gushing oil into the sea.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said 50 tons of dispersant were being prepared to try and contain the spill from a rig in the Timor Sea. A Hercules aircraft was being flown in from Singapore, and two back-up planes readied.
"This leak has occurred in one of the remotest locations possible, making any operation difficult," the rescue agency, which is coordinating the clean-up operation, said in a statement.
It was too early to determine the full impact, it said.
Rig operator PTTEP Australasia, a unit of Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production PCL, has said that 40 barrels of oil leaked in the initial incident on Friday.
However, the well was still gushing oil on Saturday and emergency services said stopping it was a priority.
"AMSA is working with the company and has stressed the urgency to repair the well head and stop the oil flow and PTTEP has initiated actions to achieve this," the statement said.
The slick has reached 8 km (5 miles) in length, one of 69 employees evacuated from the rig told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio on Saturday.
Plans were for aircraft to begin spraying the slick later on Saturday.
The spill began on Friday at the West Atlas mobile offshore drilling unit, which is owned by Norway's SeaDrill Ltd.
Australia's official overseer for the petroleum industry, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA), is investigating the incident.
A national clean-up plan has been activated to deal with the spill, which occurred at the Montara development, a project that is due to come on stream later this year.
The location has been given as about 250 km (155 miles) off the far north Kimberley coast of Western Australia state, and 150 km south-east of Ashmore Reef, a small Australian offshore possession.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)
