Oil spill investigation continues

Maritime Safety Queensland is testing samples of oil spilt at the Port of Brisbane on Sunday night to compare with samples from three ships in the area at the time.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said the investigation follows an oil spill which has affected marine birds and operations at the Port.

“MSQ has taken numerous oil samples for scientific testing and are looking to access CCTV footage as part of a full investigation into the cause of this spill,” Mr Emerson said.

“We take any incident which harms wildlife and disrupts operations at one of Queensland’s busiest ports very seriously.”

Small globules of oil were identified at daybreak on Monday near Fisherman Islands’ wharves 9 to 12 with extensive coating of oil on wharf structures, wharf fenders and the hull of a berthed ship.

MSQ and Port of Brisbane oil spill response crews deployed booms to contain some oil which was captured in some dredge piping and is now being recovered by a skimmer vessel.

“When this is completed the focus will turn to cleaning oil from piles and fenders along the wharf,” Mr Emerson said.

“The Brisbane Regional Harbour Master and port staff are also making arrangements with shipping companies to address any short term congestion which may arise before the berths are cleaned and returned to operation.”

A number of oil affected birds have been sighted and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Officers and marine parks staff are arranging to safely capture birds and clean them before they are returned to the wild.

There was no disruption to the scheduled arrival of the US naval units, including USS George Washington, which arrived in port yesterday morning.

Media contact: Andrew Berkman 0429 128 637