[9] A spokesman for Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson, said the 2,000 barrels (320 m3) referred to the amount of oil that the well could produce when brought into peak production.

Work to safely remove the West Atlas drilling rig from the Montara well head platform (WHP) in the Timor Sea started in August 2010.

This work was expected to take about three months and involve cleaning and removal of debris from the rig as well as the cantilever drill floor which was left extended over the WHP helideck after the fire in November 2009.

The company said it was implementing a nine-point Action Plan to embed the highest standards of oil field practice and safety in its operations.

According to a company spokesman, the Action Plan will "ensure the full accountability of key personnel to give greater oversight for reporting and checking of all critical offshore operations.

[24] By 3 September 2009, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) reported that the slick was 170 km (106 mi) from the coast of Western Australia, and moving closer to the shore.

[25] Reports that the slick had spread to within 120 km (75 mi) of the Northern Territory coastline were dismissed as incorrect, with the AMSA stating that the discoloured water was likely to be a natural phenomenon, such as an algal bloom or coral spawn.

The study, released in July 2010 stated no traces of hydrocarbons were found in water or shoreline sediments in areas sampled between Camden Sound and the Stewart Islands.

A jackup rig was required because it could be secured to the sea floor giving better stability and had the capacity to pump large volumes of heavy mud needed to stop the leak.

[37] On 7 September, the Australian Federal Government announced that it was suspending the normal approval process to fast track stopping the leak at the West Atlas oil rig.

A PTTEPAA spokesperson said "the commitment to run some of the studies beyond two years does not necessarily indicate long-term impacts but supports the recommendations of independent experts to ensure the best science is in place to monitor the marine environment".

The spokesperson said the studies are creating a body of high quality scientific baseline data in key areas of the Timor Sea marine environment which will be an asset for the industry and the community in managing activities in the region.

[25] The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) observed spinner dolphins, sooty terns, spotted sea snake and threatened hawksbill and flatback turtles swimming in the oil slick, and expressed concern about long-term effects.

[13][49] The Australian government has acknowledged treating a small number of birds as a result of the spill, including common noddies, brown boobies and a sooty tern.

[50] Indonesian fishermen have claimed that the spill and response polluted their national waters, killed thousands of fish and caused skin diseases[51] and loss of human life.

The Montara oil field is situated south of Indonesia's Pasir Island, a popular fishing location for many East Nusa Tenggara fishermen.

Maps obtained by the Australian Lawyers Alliance under the Freedom of Information Act suggested that oil could have come as close as 37 km to the southern coast of Rote.

[52] In October 2010, fishermen claimed to have observed dramatic declines in the number of red snapper caught by Indonesians, with 7,000 fishers impacted by loss of income,[53] including cases of bankruptcy.

[55] On 10 November, video emerged of Indonesian fisherman and scuba divers holding dead fish whilst in the water amongst the oil slick.

[56] The West Timor Care Foundation received reports on the death of eight people and 30 poisonous cases after the consumption of fish in the waters around areas allegedly contaminated by oil and chemical dispersant.

[57] The Australian Lawyers Alliance has argued that in absence of sub-surface sampling of oil and chemical dispersant, the spread of contamination and the environmental consequences of the spill can not be fully understood.

[23] In June 2010, the East Nusa Tenggara provincial government estimated that economic losses due to the pollution of the Timor Sea resulting from the Montara spill amounted to more than 2.5-3 trillion rupiah (Rp) or $318–382 million (AUD).

Ramos-Horta called for Australian environmental organisations to help assess whether the spill has caused damage to East Timor's maritime area.

Studies undertaken under this program by Associate Professor Marthe Monique Gagnon and Dr. Christopher Rawson from Curtin University in Western Australia, involved testing of four fish specimens collected in the vicinity of the spill.

Combination of all these datasets with scientific modelling ensured the most accurate and objective description of the movement of hydrocarbons in the Timor Sea throughout the incident, Dr King said.

These combined techniques gave Dr King the highest degree of confidence in providing detailed modelling, analysis and mapping of the spill event.

[75] Minister Ferguson said the failure of the operator and regulator to adhere to Australia's oil and gas regulatory regime was a key factor in the Montara incident.

[78] In October 2010, PTTEPAA announced its commitment to the Australian Government to fund a range of scientific studies aimed at determining any environmental impacts from the incident.

[citation needed] In 2012, PTTEP Australasia pleaded guilty to charges under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act and was fined $510,000.

[51] In August 2016, a class action suit was filed in Sydney, Australia representing the interests of over 13,000 Indonesian seaweed farmers whose livelihoods were affected by the spill and subsequent clean-up activities.