Varanus Island: Regulators prosecute Santos for spill linked to dolphin deaths

The energy regulator has launched a prosecution of Santos for a 2022 petroleum spill at Varanus Island. The State’s Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety said the proceedings followed about 25,000 litres of condensate spilling at the island’s marine terminal in March 2022. DEMIRS will claim the Adelaide-based gas company “did not operate its licensed pipeline in a proper and workmanlike manner by failing to prevent the escape of petroleum as required under the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982”. “The benefits of resource extraction must not come at the expense of Western Australia’s long-term environmental sustainability,” DEMIRES executive director Tyler Sujdovic said. “The department will continue to work with industry and local communities to ensure resource projects strike the right balance between extraction and environmental stewardship.” Condensate is a liquid commonly found alongside natural gas in reservoirs below ground. The spill was previously linked to the deaths of dolphins in a whistle-blower report tabled to parliament by Senator David Pocock. That statement suggested the leak had been caused by a tear in a subsea hose in use to load a tanker — with the leak allegedly not discovered for six hours. “Multiple dolphins were found dead, floating in dense sections of the oil spill, where fumes were extremely high,” the statement said. Later in 2022, a pipeline linking the John Brookes offshore platform to the Varanus processing plant also suffered a leak — leading to operations being shut down for weeks.