Environmental group disputes ‘negligible’ impact of Santos’ WA oil spill

“In no way can a 25,000 litre oil spill be described as ‘negligible’,” Ms Wood said.

“This is the same Santos which less than 10 years ago was allowed to go unpunished for a 250,000-litre oil spill in Queensland, only narrowly avoiding a widespread contamination of nearby water systems.”

There is little public information about the frequency and size of oil spills in Australian waters. But at 25,000 litres, the Varanus Island incident would be more than twice the size of a 10,500-litre leak from a Woodside well in 2016 that was the largest reported that year.

A Santos 2019 environmental approval submission listed 19 species of threatened sharks, whales, turtles and birds potentially occurring on Varanus Island or in surrounding waters.

Santos is currently drilling exploration wells further up the WA coast from Varanus Island to investigate whether it could expand its Dorado oil project planned for approval in 2022.

Ms Wood said regulators should reconsider conditions afforded to Santos in light of the spill.

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The Santos spokeswoman said it was reviewing the incident to identify and implement a recurrence.

Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety executive director Karen Caple said the regulator would ensure Santos’ spill response complied with approved plans and the company met its reporting requirements.