Oil spill off Great Barrier Reef

Reef oil spill: Oil spill off Great Barrier Reef

Early reports suggest the Great Barrier Reef spill is about 18 nautical miles NNE of Cape Upstart. Photo: Google Maps

Brisbane Times,

17 July, 2015

Oil has been located in the water south of Townsville, Queensland Transport has confirmed.

A specialist aircraft will leave Cairns early on Saturday to do a complete sweep of the area of Cape Upstart, between Ayr and Bowen and the reef islands to check how far the oil has spread.

Oil pollution teams are now being readied for work on Saturday.

A telephone hook-up early on Saturday morning will co-ordinate the next step of any clean-up, depending on what the early-morning flight finds.

"We can confirm some patches of oily water have been sighted in the water south of Townsville," spokeswoman confirmed.

The oil was confirmed by water police and by a helicopter crew on Friday evening.

"A water police vessel out of Townsville, and Emergency Management Queensland helicopter investigated and reported a sheen on the water and small oily patches about one metre in diameter," Queensland Transport said.

The statement did not say over what size area the oil was dispersed.

"An Australian Maritime Safety Authority specialised aircraft out of Cairns is being tasked for an early morning inspection tomorrow of the ocean area and also of the islands and coastline in the general areas."

Oil pollution resources and staff are on standby if required in Townsville and other ports.

Other agencies are also prepared to activate resources.

6:23pm: The Queensland Government says it expects an update within 30 minutes on the reports of an oil spill from Townsville's water police, Townsville's regional harbourmaster and helcipter crews.

6:15pm: Friday's oil spill - still yet to be confirmed by authorities - is likely to pale against Queensland's worst oil disaster in March 2009, when the MV Adventurer lost 100,000 litres of fuel oil along 60 kilometre of Moreton Bay in rough seas.

That spill took over 1,425 people 16 months to clean up at a total cost of A$4 million. That including $A2 million of public funds.

The MV Adventurer left a 500-metre oil spill in the Brisbane River - hich was contained - when it docked.

5:48pm: Oil near Cape Upstart would drift away from the coast in the morning, but drift back towards the coast in the afternoon, Ted Winterbottom from Townsville's Coast Guard said.

"At the moment in the morning we are getting westerly winds, which would tend to blow it away from the shore," Mr Winterbottom said.

"But in the afternoon, they get come in a southwesterly, which is the reverse," he said.

"So, to be honest I could not comment on that."

Mr Winterbottom said it was now up to government authorities to locate and verify the spill, before any environmental impact could be determined.

5:26pm: An oil spill about "800 metres in diameter" was reported to Townsville's Coast Guard before 7am Friday by a Townsville fisherman, the Coast Guard has confirmed.

The fisherman reported it to the Townsville Coast Guard as "800 metres in diameter".

Ted Winterbottom, from Townsville's Coast Guard, has confirmed that a fisherman reported an oil spill to them early Friday morning.

"I heard the report and I put it over the radio this morning," Mr Winterbottom said.

"From what I understand it is about 10 nautical miles off Cape Upstart and it is about 800 metres in diameter," he said.

Mr Winterbottom said Townsville Water Police left some time ago to investigate the sighting.

Mr Winterbottom said he did not know if the fisherman was a local.

"It was reported to me by our duty officer,when I took over this morning at 7am."

"And that is all he knew; that it was an oil slick and it was about 800 metres in diameter. I can't tell you any more."

State Government authorities say the spill this morning was 800 metres long, but not wide.

5:08pm: Maritime Safety Queensland have just confirmed they have found "oily residue" on the hull of the Townsville fisherman's boat, who this morning reported the oil slick about 18 nautical miles north-north east of Cape Upstart.

"MSQ interviewed the owner of the fishing vessel making the report and attended the vessel and confirmed the presence of oily residue on its hull," MSG said in a statement.

Authorities say it is difficult to say how big a spill that was one kilometre long on Friday morning might be by Friday afternooon.

4:47pm: Port of Townsville authorities say they have been alerted to the oil spil by water police and by Townsville's Regional Harbour master.

Attempts to locate and verify the oil spill are now being co-ordinated by Townsville's Water Police.

4:21pm: Cape Upstart is a national park in the Whitsunday between Ayr and Bowen, with important aboriginal middens, recognised by the Juru indigenous people.

Cape Upstart has granite headland covered in a range of vegetation types from vine thicket to heath. Significant areas of beach scrub and coastal dunes are also protected in the park.

It is recognised as an important ceremonial area for the Juru indigenous people.

4:06pm: Water Police from Townsville have now been asked to run an inspection of the area near Cape Upstart - indentified by the fisherman - a Department of Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said.

"A Customs aircraft was unable to locate the reported spill this morning and we are arranging for another aerial helicopter flight this afternoon," she said.

4:00pm: There is an unconfirmed report of an oil spill in reef waters south of Townsville, reported on Friday morning by a fisherman to the Coast Guard.

The fisherman this morning reported an oil spill - approximately 800 metres to one kilometre long - about 18 nautical miles north-north-east off Cape Upstart, south of Townsville.

Maritime Services Queensland have not been able to confirm the oil link, however traces of oil have been located on the hull of the fisherman's boat as it docked this afternoon.

Investigations have - as yet - been unable to determine source of the possible oil leak - however the fisherman insists he saw oil on the water.

The fisherman is being interviewed by Maritime Safety Queensland staff.

An morning flight over the area has been unable to find any trace of the oil.

Ships have now been asked to carry out surveiilance of the waters south of Townsville.

3:50pm: A North Queensland oil spill - which unconfirmed reports say is about 10 kilometres long - is now being urgently investigated by state and federal agencies.

The oil spill has been confirmed by two sources.

The Office of Maritime Safety within the Department of Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports, Energy and Water Supply is now investigating the oil spill.

The apparent oil spill is off the Barrier Reef.

Fairfax Media understands Maritime Safety staff are now trying to verify the spill.