| Southeast Queensland oil spill | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°24′40″S 153°29′20″E / 27.411°S 153.489°E |
| Date | 11 March 2009 |
| Cause | |
| Cause | MV Pacific Adventurer spilled oil and cargo during a storm |
| Operator | Swire Shipping |
| Spill characteristics | |
| Volume | 100,000 litres [1] |
| Shoreline impacted | 60 kilometres (37 mi) |
The 2009 southeast Queensland oil spill occurred off the coast of southeast Queensland, Australia on 11 March 2009, when 230 tonnes of fuel oil, 30 tonnes of other fuel and 31 shipping containers containing 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate spilled into the Coral Sea, north of Moreton Bay during Cyclone Hamish. It happened after unsecured cargo on MV Pacific Adventurer damaged other cargo, causing the spillage.[1] Over the following days, the spill washed ashore along 60 kilometres (37 mi) of coastline encompassing the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Bribie Island and Moreton Island.
The ship proceeded through Moreton Bay and docked at the Port of Brisbane where it continued to spread a 500 m (1,600 ft) long slick in the mouth of the Brisbane River.[2]
The Queensland government declared a state of emergency. Premier Anna Bligh described the spill as the "worst environmental disaster Queensland has ever seen."[2] It took over 1,425 people 16 months to clean up the affected areas.[3]
- ^ a b "Oil spill: Qld beaches declared disaster zones". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 March 2009. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ a b Ironside, Robyn; Caldwell, Anna; Williams, Brian (13 March 2009). "Pacific Adventurer oil spill a disaster says Anna Bligh". The Courier-Mail. News Limited. Archived from the original on 14 March 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2009.
- ^ Moreton oil spill clean up finally declared over Archived 25 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine. The Age. Retrieved 24 July