Cause and Initial Responses
The ship MV Pacific Adventurer was sailing from Newcastle to the Port of Brisbane in Moreton Bay. Cyclone Hamish had formed off the coast of Queensland. Subsequently the improperly stowed cargo dislodged from the deck damaging other cargo and containers onboard causing various substances to spill into the ocean. The ship was damaged at and below the waterline and began to leak fuel and lubricant oil. Over the following days the spill washed ashore over a 60 km stretch of coastline. In an interview of the crew of the ships, the crew stated that the captain was to blame for the incident. The captain decided to stay on course, directly through the storm. As the ship encountered large swells, the 20 crew members went below deck, fearing the safety of their lives. At 3:12 a.m., a wave broke the restraints for the cargo and sent 31 containers of ammonium nitrate overboard. The Queensland maritime safety authorities estimated that the ships was at a 25 degree angle at the time the containers were knocked off. When the ship came back down, one of the containers damaged the hull. After rolling to the opposite side, it crashed onto another container, creating a large hole underneath the ship, which was not noticed until the ship docked in Brisbane.
The shipping company, Swire Shipping, initially reported that only 20 tonnes had been spilled. This was later revised to 30 tonnes, then revised again to 100 tonnes, and further to 230 tonnes. The latest estimates of the amount of fuel has reached 250 tonnes. The Queensland Government reacted to the situation based on the initial information of 20 tonnes, which was later discovered to be inaccurate, leading to claims of an inadequate initial clean up response. After divers inspected the ship for the source of the spill, two holes were found. One, located just above the waterline, was 10 mm (0.4 in) long 15 mm (0.6 in) wide. The second and larger hole was located underneath the ship. The length of it was about 1 m (3.28 ft) and the width was 300 mm (11.8 in).
Read more about this topic: 2009 Southeast Queensland Oil Spill
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