Water quality 'compromised by Timor Sea oil spill'

An oil slick in the Timor Sea has killed thousands of fish and damaged seaweed crops on the coastal area of Rote Island, East Nusa Tenggara.

The pollution originated in the Australian Montara oil field, off the coast of Darwin, back in August this year. The oil spill reached the Indonesian coast last week and has since had a devastating effect, according to the Jakarta Post.

Over 1,000 hectares of ready-to-harvest seaweed has been destroyed and local fishermen have reported dramatic reductions in their catch. It has also resulted in illnesses among those who regularly fish in the waters.

The West Timor Care Foundation has called on the Australian government to compensate the seaweed farmers and fishermen, as well as to finance the operation to preserve the coral reefs.

Speaking to the publication, Ferdi Tanoni from the organisation said: "Seaweed, which is one of the province's prime commodities has been polluted. If the farmers fail to harvest their seaweed, they will incur losses of up to billions of rupiah."

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has been coordinating the clean-up operation and has so far recovered an estimated 306,042 litres of oil.

AMSA's work has drawn international attention due to the remote, off-shore location of the leak.

Posted by Lauren Steadman