Oil leaking from Kazakh wells into Caspian

Three mothballed oil wells have begun leaking petroleum into the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan's Atyrau Oblast, khabar.kz reported on 9 June, and oblast authorities have asked specialists from an international oil firm operating in the region, AGIP Kazakhstan North Caspian Operations, to help stop the leaks.

Environmentalists in Kazakhstan and other Caspian littoral states have questioned the intensive development of the Caspian Sea's oil fields that began in the early 1990s, fearing that spills such as the one now occurring in Atyrau would irreparably damage the unique ecology of the Caspian.

According to khabar.kz, the leaks are believed to have resulted from a rise in the water level of the Caspian, which flooded the area where the wells are located. Oil slicks resulting from the leaks are reported to be up to a kilometer long and 10 to 20 meters wide.

The report notes that this not the first incident of leaking wells on the Caspian: Two years ago, British specialists capped a similar leak at another Kazakh oil field on the Caspian coast. Oblast authorities expect that stopping the current leaks will cost around $1 million per well.

RFE/RL
11 Jun 2003