Australia must insist on full removal when ExxonMobil decommissions offshore gas project, Wilderness Society says

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

An international law expert has warned abandoning oil and gas infrastructure in Bass Strait would breach Australia’s obligations under international law, if ExxonMobil pursues this plan in decommissioning its Gippsland offshore project.

Prof Donald Rothwell, who specialises in international law at the Australian National University, said Bass Strait was used for international navigation and had special status under the UN convention on the law of the sea (Unclos) and related International Maritime Organisation (IMO) guidelines.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email