Disaster on Australian beaches

A large oil spill has left many popular beaches on Queensland’s south-east coast a ‘disaster zone’.

More than 30 tonnes of oil are thought to have spilled from the MV Pacific Adventurer, contaminating 60km (37 miles) of coastline. Beaches along the Sunshine Coast and Moreton and Bribie Islands are the worst hit.

The Hong Kong-registered cargo ship was caught in stormy weather on Wednesday night, en route from south of Brisbane to Indonesia. 31 containers of ammonium nitrate fertiliser were lost overboard, piercing the ship’s hull and fuel tank, and releasing an estimated 1,000 litres of oil into the ocean.

Anna Bligh, Queensland state Premier, said: “It may well be the worst environmental disaster Queensland has ever seen.”

The waters in this region are well-known for their healthy bottlenose dolphin, green turtle and dugong (sea cow) populations. But the leakage has had a major impact on the area, which was declared a marine national park just two weeks.

Simon Baltais, from the Queensland Conservation Council and Wildlife Queensland, said the clean-up was a “mammoth exercise”.

It’s estimated it will cost A$100,000 (£47,000) a day and will run into millions of dollars.

The ship’s operators are likely to be made liable for the costs and may face fines of up to A$1 million (£470,000).