BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia, March 13, 2009 (ENS)
The government of Queensland has declared Moreton Island and
the southern area of the Sunshine Coast a disaster area after a cargo ship
damaged by the loss of more than half its containers spilled 30 tonnes of
heavy oil into the sea.
On Wednesday, the 185 meter container ship, Pacific Adventurer, was enroute
from Newcastle to Indonesia via Brisbane when it ran into heavy seas whipped
up by the tail end of Cyclone Hamish, a category 5 storm.
Oil has washed up along a 20 kilometer stretch of
Moreton Island's coastline. (Photo courtesy Government of Queensland)
The ship was seven nautical miles east of Cape Moreton when it reported
losing 31 of a total 50 shipping containers of ammonium nitrate being
carried on its deck. Several of the fallen containers pierced the ship's
hull, resulting in the oil spill.
"This is a very serious situation," said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh
today, after a meeting of the emergency response group - members of key
government agencies.
"I'm advised that it appears the volume of oil involved is much greater than
originally reported by the Pacific Adventurer," she said. "And the effect of
the oil spill is more widespread."
An aerial survey this morning shows that oil has washed up along a 20
kilometer (12 mile) stretch on the eastern side of Moreton Island, extending
20 kilometers south from Cape Moreton, and along the foreshore on Moreton
Island's northern side. The resort island is a 75 minute ferry ride from
Queensland's capital city of Brisbane on Australia's east coast.
Bligh said the state would seek compensation for the cost of the cleanup,
which she estimated would take at least a week.
The Hong Kong-based Pacific Adventurer has been detained at Hamilton Wharf
by the federal authority, the Australian Maritime Safety Association. Its
remaining cargo of 19 containers have been offloaded and moved to a safe
storage site. The company can face fines of up A$1.5 million and the ship's
master fines of up to $500,000.
The Pacific Adventurer before the oil spill incident
(Photo by Peter Karberg MarineTraffic.com)
"A comprehensive risk assessment has been carried out both
in relation to the hazardous cargo on board ship and its entry into Moreton
Bay," said Maritime Safety Queensland General Manager Director Captain John
Watkinson.
"I must stress there are no reports of crew members being injured or being
exposed to any risk and there is no general risk to the wider coastal
community," he said.
About 30 campers have been evacuated from a site at North Point by the
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, who have enlisted Queensland Police
assistance to restrict all private vehicle movement on the island to limit
the spread of contaminants. All camping grounds on Moreton Island, the Ocean
Beach camping area and Ocean Beach on Bribie Island have been closed until
further notice.
Maritime Safety Queensland has sought scientific advice from the Queensland
Fire and Rescue Service regarding the potential hazards of ammonium nitrate
and been advised that it is stable in its current state. The chemical is
commonly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer and as a
component of explosives.
One of the world's largest sand islands, Moreton is almost completely a
national park. A favorite resort destination, the island is famous for its
miles of sandy beaches, crystalline creeks and lagoons, and abundant
wildlife, which makes the spill all the more devastating, environmentalists
say.
Don Henry, executive director of Australian Conservation Foundation and a
former president of the Moreton Bay Preservation Society, said, "I am
devastated to see the massive damage the oil slick is doing to this
beautiful coastline."
"Reports that the northern tip of Moreton Island has been turned into an
oily wasteland are very disturbing. This area is home to bottlenose
dolphins, dugongs and a treasure trove of other marine species," said Henry.
"Turtles lay their eggs in the sand of these beaches. Beachstone curlews and
sooty oyster catchers nest just above the high tide mark."
"At this stage Maritime Safety Queensland has not been notified of any
extensive oil contamination of wildlife. However, the potential hazard
remains significant," said Queensland Transport Minister John Mickel.
Watkinson, said an oiled wildlife response plan hasd been developed to deal
with the consequences of the spill.
Queensland government officials are briefed on the Pacific Adventurer oil
spill. March 13, 2009 (Photo courtesy Premier Anna Bligh)
Tangalooma Island Resort, which offers guests the experience of hand feeding
a pod of wild bottlenose dolphins that visit each evening, reports that it
has not been affected by the oil spill. The spill has remained outside of
Moreton Bay and has only affected the north and eastern side of the island.
"Maritime Safety Queensland is continuing to conduct aerial surveillance and
tracking the movement of the oil slick released from the Pacific
Adventurer," Captain Watkinson said.
"I would like to see four major reforms come out of this environmental
disaster," said Henry.
"First, the federal government should insist on heavy penalties for
companies that play fast and loose with safety requirements and
environmental conditions.
"Second, the federal government should ensure Australia has a national
coordinated cleanup capability, to quickly respond to environmental crises
at the scale needed.
"Third, for goodness sake, the government must get serious about tackling
climate change. This ship was hit by the tail end of a category 5 cyclone.
Just as Victoria will experience dramatically increased days of extreme
bushfire weather, the science is telling us Queensland will cop more
destructive cyclones unless we make big cuts to greenhouse pollution."
"And fourth, all political parties in the Queensland election should commit
to establish adequate green zones to make sure Queensland's beautiful
beaches and Moreton Bay are as healthy as possible to survive accidents like
this."
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Australian Transportation Safety
Bureau and Maritime Safety Queensland are conducting an inquiry into the
incident.
Meanwhile coastal authorities have been advised on precautions to take if
they identify any containers washing up on their shores in coming weeks.
Members of the public are also being encouraged to report sightings to
Queensland Police or Maritime Safety Queensland.
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