Oil Spill in Great Barrier Reef Port Worst in 30 Years

GLADSTONE, Queensland, Australia, January 25, 2006 (ENS) - More than 25 metric tons of heavy fuel oil spilled into waters on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area last night after a tug boat collided with a bulk coal carrier, slicing open its fuel tank. The official in charge of cleanup said today the spill could be the state's largest in more than 30 years.

The collision occurred just before midnight local time as the Korean-owned, Panamanian-registered bulk coal carrier Global Peace was about to dock at the Port of Gladstone, Queensland's largest multi-cargo port and the fifth largest port in Australia.

The incoming tide carried most of the spill upstream into mangroves, with the rest moving back around port facilities and the Calliope River estuary, Captain John Watkinson of Maritime Safety Queensland, told reporters.

The Port of Gladstone is the largest in Queensland and the southernmost in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. (Photo courtesy Gladstone Economic and Industry Development Board)

Watkinson said, "The problem with this type of oil, when it gets into mangrove it's very difficult to remove, and it's very labor intensive."

Cleanup costs must be covered by the ship's owners, in accordance with international maritime law.

Oil spill response experts from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne are flying to Gladstone today as part of a national oil spill response team.

An investigation by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Maritime Safety Queensland is under way, but officials now believe the tug Tom Tough struck the Global Peace after one of the tug's engines failed. The tug is owned by Adsteam Marine, a multinational company based in Australia.

The Port of Gladstone is the terminus for the southernmost of eight shipping channels that cross the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

This spill is the second in the Port of Gladstone within 10 days. On January 16, the bunker barge MV Larcom purged about a ton of oil while in the harbor.

Map of Australia outlining location of the Great Barrier Reef with the Port of Gladstone shown in brown.(Map courtesy GBRMPA)

The Australian Greens are calling for a full investigation of this latest spill.

"How can a standard shipping procedure result in more than 25 tons of heavy fuel being spilt on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area?" asked Australian Greens marine spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert.

"We need to have an independent and transparent inquiry into the accident, into shipping procedures in Gladstone Harbour and why the initial response time was so slow," Siewert said.

Map showing location of the Port of Gladstone inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Heritage Area (Map courtesy GBRMPA)

The Gladstone region has been recognized by both state and federal governments as being destined to become "the major industrial center in Australia in the 21st century," according to the Central Queensland Port Authority.

Also located in this area are two newly established chemical plants. Orica Australia Pty Ltd produces solid sodium cyanide and liquid cyanide, both for use in gold extraction, and chlorine, used in water treatment.

The Ticor Chemical Company Pty Ltd also produces sodium cyanide.

Two pilot plants are currently undertaking production assessments in the Port - the Stuart Oil Shale Project and Australian Magnesium Corporation's pilot magnesium metal plant.