3 oiled birds have died since 12,000L Hibernia spill

Three oiled seabirds two storm petrels and a common murrehave died since 12,000 litres of oil and water spilled from the Hibernia offshore oil platform earlier this month.

The mixture leaked from a storage tank aboard the vessel, which sits on the seabed315 kilometressoutheast of St. John's.

The latest seabird death brings the total number of oiled birds spotted in the area to six, said theHibernia Management and Development Company (HMDC).

Any oiled birds recovered are taken to be cleaned at a seabird rehabilitation centre in Ship Cove, on the southwestern Avalon Peninsula.

The spill resulted in a number of sheens on the surface of the water and a recovery team of ships and planes have been working to sop up the mess.

Though some of the oil and water has been cleaned up, a spokesperson for HMDC says it's still too early to tell how much remains.

HMDC said the concentration of the oil on the water is thinning out and the sheens are getting smaller as the cleanup continues and as the oil naturally degrades.

The Hibernia platform has been shut down since the day of the spill, costing the provinceabout $2.5 million a day in deferred royalties.

Read more stories from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador