Spill at Tui blamed for Taranaki oil slick

An oil slick washed up on Taranaki's coast looks likely to have come from the Tui oil field.

Australian Worldwide Exploration (AWE) media spokesman Ian Howarth, of Sydney, said the company had been advised the washed-up oil was similar to the oil produced from the Tui field.

AWE operates the Tui Area Oil project 50km off the Taranaki coast.

Mr Howarth said the analysis, done by the Taranaki Regional Council, was only preliminary and an investigation to directly link the oil to the Tui field was not complete.

A discharge of contaminated water early on Sunday from the Umuroa, a floating production, storage and offloading facility, could be responsible for the pollution.

"The incident occurred when the tanks were discharged.

"Normally only a portion of the water is discharged. On this occasion, the level in the tank was allowed to go down too far and some contaminated water was discharged into the sea."

Mr Howarth said the spill was reported to Maritime NZ on the day.

Exactly how much oil escaped was not known. "The fact of the matter is it should not have happened, if this is established as the cause."

AWE claims the incident is its first environmental blemish.

Sticky blobs of the tar-like oil have littered some of the coast's best surf breaks.

While there were no visible signs of any harm to wildlife yesterday, the pollution has angered locals. Adrian Fenton, New Plymouth, said he was shocked when he arrived to help clean up yesterday.

"The whole beach just reeked of oil."

Chris Daley said he was devastated when he saw the mess. Whoever was responsible for the spill should own up to what they had done.

Mr Howarth said substantial investigations were going on to find out what happened and how to stop it happening again.

AWE managing director Bruce Wood is expected to visit New Plymouth next week.

The sticky black goo was first spotted coming ashore on Tuesday night. By Wednesday morning, it had spread 10km from north of Kaihihi Rd, near Okato, to Paora Rd, near Puniho.

A three-day clean-up operation run by the TRC and costing more than $20,000 is expected to be completed today.

Maritime NZ marine pollution response team manager Nick Quinn said the chemical analysis of the oil was being done in Australia.

He hoped to have the results within seven working days.

Mr Quinn said it was too soon to say what penalties the culprit could face.

TRC compliance manager Bruce Pope said the clean-up was going well.

"We have got most of it, but we still have another day to go."

About six cubic metres of oil-contaminated sand has been removed from the beach.

- © Fairfax NZ News