Woodside toxic spill near Ningaloo Reef world heritage area under investigation

A Woodside spokesperson said environmental scientists were monitoring the spill, and that it was headed away from the Western Australia coast. Photograph: Christine Chen/Reuters

Australia’s offshore energy regulator has launched an investigation into an oil and gas spill at a Woodside Energy project off the Pilbara coast in Western Australia.

An estimated 16,000 litres of petroleum products were released into the Indian Ocean on 8 May during decommissioning at the company’s Griffin field, 58km north-west of Exmouth and 60km from Ningaloo marine park. The field stopped production in 2009.