Home (/)
Legal services (/legal-services/)
General law (/legal-services/general-law/)
Class actions (/legal-services/general-law/class-actions/)
Montara oil spill class action (/legal-services/general-law/class-actions/current-class-actions/montara-oil-spill-class-action/)
Current class actions Past class actions
On 3 August 2016 Maurice Blackburn filed a class action in the Federal Court of Australia arising out of a major Please select your location blowout at the Montara Wellhead Platform. Under the class action, compensation is sought for financial loss and property damage suffered by Indonesian seaweed farmers alleged to have been caused by the Montara Wellhead
VIC
WA
QLD
SA
Platform oil spill.
YES
The class action is brought against the company that operated the Montara Wellhead Platform, PTTEP Australasia (Ashmore Cartier) Pty Ltd (‘PTTEPAA’), a subsidiary of PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited. NSW TAS The lead applicant in the class action is Mr Daniel Sanda, a seaweed farmer from Rote Island, Indonesia, who alleges
ACT
NT
that his seaweed crops were destroyed by oil from the Montara Wellhead Platform reaching the coastal waters of his island. Mr Sanda brings the action on behalf of approximately 15,000 seaweed farmers whose crops were destroyed in I'M FROM OVERSEAS similar circumstances. The action is being funded by Harbour Fund II, L.P. - Bahasa Indonesia
The Montara Wellhead Platform is located in Australian waters approximately 685 kilometres west of Darwin, 630 kilometres northeast of Broome, 250 kilometres southeast of Indonesia, and within the offshore area of the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands. On 21 August 2009, a blowout occurred at the H1 Well, causing the uncontrolled release of oil and gas into the Timor Sea for 74 days until 3 November 2009. Despite PTTEPAA’s estimation that the volume of oil leaked was just 400 barrels per day, Geoscience Australia estimated that the blowout could have been 2,000 barrels of oil per day. The modest estimate of Geoscience Australia would equate to a total volume of around 148,000 barrels, or 23,532,000 litres. The Montara oil spill was one of the largest in Australian history. 184,000 litres of oil-dispersing chemicals were used in the clean-up effort. Of the six different chemicals applied, two are known to increase oil’s toxicity to marine life.
Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) is one of 34 provinces on the Indonesian archipelago. Historically, NTT has been one of Indonesia’s poorest provinces. However, from around the year 2000, seaweed farming developed as a profitable alternative to traditional fishing and agriculture, promising to greatly improve the economy and quality of life in NTT. Seaweed was even termed ‘green gold’, such was the improvement in the standard of living as a result of its cultivation. In the years prior to the Montara oil spill, Indonesians in NTT who had previously been subsistence farmers found themselves able to send their children to university in Jakarta and Bali, construct homes, and buy expensive items such as cars and motorboats. In September and October 2009, seaweed farmers in NTT began to observe oil in and around their farms. Soon after, entire crops were destroyed, including the cuttings farmers would have used to plant the next harvest. Farmers persisted in their attempts to grow seaweed but many have still not reached the level of production that they enjoyed prior to the oil spill.
In 2010 the Commonwealth Government held a Commission of Inquiry into the spill. The Commission described the most likely causes of the blowout as arising from ‘systematic’ errors of a ‘more deep seated kind’. The Commission concluded that PTTEPAA’s actions did not come within a ‘bull’s roar’ of sensible oilfield practice. The Commission said further, “[t]he Blowout was not a reflection of one unfortunate incident, or of bad luck,” instead “[PTTEP AA’s] systems and processes were so deficient and its key personnel so lacking in basic competence, that the Blowout can properly be said to have been an event waiting to occur.” It further noted that “PTTEPAA did not seek to properly inform itself as to the circumstances and the causes of the Blowout. The information that it provided to the regulators was consequently incomplete and apt to mislead.” The Commission recommended that the then-Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, review PTTEPAA’s operating licence at the Montara Oilfield. The Minister declined to issue a ‘show cause’ notice, which may have resulted in the cancellation of PTTEPAA’s licence. PTTEPAA ultimately pleaded guilty to four breaches of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (Cth) and was fined $510,000. However, PTTEPAA continues to operate at Montara to this day.
The Montara Class Action was filed in the Federal Court of Australia on 3 August 2016. An Amended Statement of Claim and Amended Originating Application were filed on 2 November 2016. On 20 October 2016 a hearing was held before Justice Griffiths. The hearing concerned a procedural question as to whether group members in the class action had “commenced” a proceeding for the purpose of section 44 of the Limitation Act (NT) and therefore requested an extension of the limitation period pursuant to that Act. On 24 January 2017 Justice Griffiths handed down his judgment in favour of group members in the proceeding. The decision can be accessed here (http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FCA/2017/14.html? stem=0&synonyms=0&query=title(PTTEP%20and%20Sanda%20)). Mr Sanda’s application for an extension of his limitation period will be heard on 29 May 2017. A further update will be provided following the Court’s determination.
If you are registered as a group member to the class action and would like more information on the status of the case, please request a Group Member Update by sending your name, address, and Claimant ID to
[email protected] or by mail to: Montara Class Action Maurice Blackburn Lawyers Level 32, 201 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Once received, we will provide you with a confidential and privileged update on the progress of the case.
Pada tanggal 3 Agustus 2016, Maurice Blackburn mengajukan gugatan perwakilan kelompok di Pengadilan Federal Australia sebagai akibat dari ledakan besar di Montara Wellhead Platform. Dalam gugatan perwakilan kelompok ini, penggantian kerugian diminta atas kerugian finansial dan kerusakan properti yang diderita oleh para petani rumput laut Indonesia yang diduga telah disebabkan oleh tumpahan minyak Montara Wellhead Platform. Gugatan perwakilan kelompok ini diajukan terhadap perusahaan yang mengoperasikan Montara Wellhead Platform, PTTEP Australasia (Ashmore Cartier) Pty Ltd ( 'PTTEPAA'), anak perusahaan PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited. Pemohon utama dalam gugatan perwakilan kelompok ini adalah Tuan Daniel Sanda, seorang petani rumput laut dari Pulau Rote, Indonesia, yang menuduh bahwa tanaman rumput lautnya rusak karena minyak dari Montara Wellhead Platform yang mencapai perairan pesisir pulaunya. Tuan Sanda mengajukan gugatan ini atas nama sekitar 15.000 petani rumput laut yang tanaman rusak dalam kondisi yang sama. Gugatan ini dibiayai oleh Harbour Fund II, L.P.
Montara Wellhead Platform terletak di perairan Australia sekitar 685 kilometer di sebelah barat Darwin, 630 kilometer di timur laut Broome, 250 kilometer di tenggara Indonesia, dan berada di area lepas pantai Wilayah Kepulauan Ashmore dan Cartier. Pada tanggal 21 Agustus 2009, sebuah ledakan terjadi di Sumur H1, menyebabkan pelepasan minyak dan gas yang tidak terkendali ke Laut Timor selama 74 hari sampai 3 November 2009. Meskipun PTTEPAA memperkirakan bahwa
volume minyak yang bocor hanya 400 barel per hari, Geoscience Australia memperkirakan bahwa ledakan tersebut CAN WE HE bisa melepaskan 2.000 barel minyak per hari. Perkiraan sederhana Geoscience Australia akan sama dengan volume total sekitar 148.000 barel, atau 23.532.000 liter. Tumpahan minyak Montara adalah salah satu yang terbesar dalam sejarah Australia. 184.000 liter bahan kimia pengurai minyak telah digunakan dalam upaya pembersihan. Dari enam jenis bahan kimia yang digunakan, dua di antaranya diketahui meningkatkan toksisitas minyak terhadap kehidupan laut.
Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) adalah salah satu dari 34 provinsi di negara kepulauan Indonesia. Secara historis, NTT telah menjadi salah satu provinsi termiskin di Indonesia. Namun, sejak sekitar tahun 2000, budidaya rumput laut telah dikembangkan sebagai alternatif yang lebih menguntungkan dari penangkapan ikan dan pertanian tradional, yang sangat menjanjikan untuk meningkatkan besar bagi perekonomian dan kualitas hidup di NTT. Rumput laut bahkan disebut 'emas hijau', karena besarnya peningkatan standar hidup dari budidaya tersebut. Bertahun-tahun sebelum tumpahan minyak Montara, warga negara Indonesia di NTT yang sebelumnya hanya menjadi petani swasembada mampu mengirimkan anak-anak mereka ke universitas di Jakarta dan Bali, membangun rumah, dan membeli barangbarang mahal seperti mobil dan perahu motor. Pada bulan September dan Oktober 2009, para petani rumput laut di NTT mulai melihat minyak di dan di sekitar lahan mereka. Segera setelah itu, seluruh tanaman rusak, termasuk stek yang akan digunakan oleh para petani untuk masa tanam berikutnya. Para petani bertahan untuk tetap membudidayakan rumput laut namun banyak yang masih belum mencapai tingkat produksi yang mereka nikmati sebelum tumpahan minyak.
Pada tahun 2010 Pemerintah Persemakmuran membentuk Komisi Penyelidikan atas tumpahan tersebut. Komisi tersebut menyatakan bahwa kemungkinan besar ledakan tersebut terjadi karena kesalahan 'sistematis' yang 'telah lama berlangsung'. Komisi ini menyimpulkan bahwa tindakan PTTEPAA tidak mencerminkan ketatnya prosedur praktik ladang minyak yang dapat diterima. Lebih lanjut Komisi tersebut menyatakan, "Ledakan tersebut tidak mencerminkan suatu kemalangan, atau nasib buruk," namun "sistem dan proses [PTTEPAA] yang sangat tidak memadai dan personel utamanya tidak menguasai kompetensi dasar, sehingga Ledakan tersebut bisa dikatakan sebagai kejadian yang menunggu untuk terjadi." Lebih lanjut dinyatakan bahwa "PTTEPAA tidak berusaha mencari informasi mengenai keadaan dan penyebab Ledakan tersebut dengan benar. Oleh karena itu, informasi yang diberikan kepada regulator tidak lengkap dan cenderung menyesatkan. " Komisi merekomendasikan Menteri Sumber Daya dan Energi pada saat itu, Martin Ferguson, untuk meninjau kembali izin operasi PTTEPAA di Ladang Minyak Montara. Menteri menolak untuk mengeluarkan perintah 'tunjukkan penyebab', yang bisa mengakibatkan pencabutan izin PTTEPAA. PTTEPAA akhirnya mengaku bersalah atas empat pelanggaran Undang-Undang Penyimpanan Minyak Lepas Pantai dan Gas Rumah Kaca 2006 (Cth) dan didenda $ 510.000. Namun, PTTEPAA terus beroperasi di Montara sampai hari ini.
Gugatan Perwakilan Kelompok Montara Gugatan diajukan di Pengadilan Federal Australia pada tanggal 3 Agustus 2016. Perubahan Pernyataan Tuntutan dan Perubahan Permohonan Asli diajukan pada tanggal pada 2 November 2016. Pada tanggal 20 Oktober 2016 diadakan sidang pemeriksaan yang dipimpin oleh Hakim Griffiths. Sidang pemeriksaan tersebut membahas pertanyaan prosedural apakah anggota kelompok dalam gugatan telah "memulai" suatu proses hukum untuk tujuan bagian 44 dari Undang-Undang Batasan (NT) dan oleh karena itu meminta perpanjangan periode pembatasan sesuai dengan Undang-Undang tersebut. Pada tanggal 24 Januari 2017, Hakim Griffiths memutuskan untuk memenangkan anggota kelompok dalam proses hukum tersebut. Keputusan tersebut dapat diakses di sini (http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FCA/2017/14.html? stem=0&synonyms=0&query=title(PTTEP%20and%20Sanda%20)). Permohonan Tuan Sanda untuk perpanjangan periode pembatasannya akan didengarkan pada tanggal 29 Mei 2017. Pembaruan lebih lanjut akan diberikan sesuai dengan penetapan Pengadilan.
Jika Anda terdaftar sebagai anggota kelompok dalam gugatan perwakilan kelompok ini, dan ingin informasi lebih lanjut tentang status kasus ini, silakan meminta Pembaruan Anggota Grup dengan mengirimkan nama, alamat, dan Pemohon ID ke
[email protected] atau melalui pos ke: Montara Class Action Maurice Blackburn Lawyers Level 32, 201 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Setelah diterima, kami akan memberi Anda pembaruan rahasia dan istimewa mengenai kemajuan kasus ini.
Amended Statement of Claim (/media/3628/1611-02-sanda-v-ptteppa-amended-statement-ofclaim-nsd-1245_2016-seal.pdf)
Montara oil spill victims win more time to file class action claim (/about/media-centre/in-thenews/2017/montara-oil-spill-victims-win-moretime-to-file-class-action-claim/)
Amended Originating Application (/media/3627/16-11-02-sanda-v-ptteppaamended-originating-application-nsd1245_201.pdf)
Report of the Montara Royal Commission of Inquiry (http://www.industry.gov.au/resource/UpstreamPetroleum/MontaraInquiryResponse/Documents/MontaraReport.pdf) Decision of Justice Griffiths on section 44 of the Limitation Act (NT) (http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgibin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FCA/2017/14.html? stem=0&synonyms=0&query=title(PTTEP%20and%20Sanda%20)) ‘Indonesian seaweed farmers launch class action over Montara oil spill’, (http://www.smh.com.au/business/worldbusiness/indonesian-seaweed-farmers-launchclass-action-over-montara-oil-spill-20160801gqitj0.html) Sydney Morning Herald, 2 August 2016
VIC
QLD
NSW
ACT
WA
SA
TAS
NT
(https://twitter.com/WeFightForFair) (http://au.linkedin.com/company/363310? (https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBlackburnLawyers) (https://www.youtube.com/user/wefightforfair) (https://plus.google.com/+MauriceBlackburnLawyersAu/about) trk=jobtocomp) FEES (/ABOUT/FEES/) BLOG (/MB-BLOG/BLOG/)
PEOPLE (/OUR-PEOPLE/)
ABOUT (/ABOUT/)
CAREERS (/ABOUT/CAREERS/)
MEDIA (/ABOUT/MEDIA-CENTRE/) PRIVACY (/ABOUT/PRIVACY/)
CONTACT (/CONTACT/)
© Copyright 2018 Maurice Blackburn. All Rights Reserved.