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{{Use Australian English|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox oil spill
| spill_name = Southeast Queensland oil spill
| image = Queensland oil spill map small.PNG
| image_size = FUUS
| image_caption =
| location = [[Coral Sea]], [[Queensland]], [[Australia]]
| coordinates = {{coord|-27.411|153.489|region:AU-QLD_type:event|display=title,inline}}
| spill_date = 11 March 2009
| cause = MV ''Pacific Adventurer'' spilled oil and cargo during a storm
| operator = [[Swire Group|Swire Shipping]]
| volume = 100,000 litres <ref name=abc20090313/>
| area =
| coast = {{convert|60|km}}
}}

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 [[Intermodal container|shipping container]]s containing 620 tonnes of [[ammonium nitrate]] spilled into the [[Coral Sea]], north of [[Moreton Bay]] during [[Cyclone Hamish (2009)|Cyclone Hamish]]. It happened after unsecured cargo on {{MV|Pacific Adventurer}} damaged other cargo, causing the spillage.<ref name=abc20090313>{{cite news | title=Oil spill: Qld beaches declared disaster zones | work=ABC News | publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=13 March 2009 | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/13/2514943.htm | access-date=14 July 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112172956/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/13/2514943.htm | archive-date=12 November 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Over the following days, the spill washed ashore along {{convert|60|km}} of coastline encompassing the [[Sunshine Coast, Queensland|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 {{convert|500|m|ft|abbr=on}} long slick in the mouth of the [[Brisbane River]].<ref name="CourierMail">{{cite news|last=Ironside |first=Robyn |author2=Caldwell, Anna |author3=Williams, Brian |title=Pacific Adventurer oil spill a disaster says Anna Bligh |work=The Courier-Mail|publisher=News Limited |date=13 March 2009 |url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25179213-952,00.html |access-date=13 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314001803/http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0%2C23739%2C25179213-952%2C00.html |archive-date=14 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Queensland government declared a state of emergency. Premier [[Anna Bligh]] described the spill as the "worst [[environmental disaster]] Queensland has ever seen."<ref name="CourierMail"/> It took over 1,425 people 16 months to clean up the affected areas.<ref name="moscfd">[http://www.theage.com.au/environment/moreton-oil-spill-clean-up-finally-declared-over-20100723-10ng8.html Moreton oil spill clean up finally declared over] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725031526/http://www.theage.com.au/environment/moreton-oil-spill-clean-up-finally-declared-over-20100723-10ng8.html |date=25 July 2010 }}. The Age. Retrieved 24 July</ref>

==Cause and initial responses==
MV ''Pacific Adventurer'' was sailing from [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Newcastle]] to the [[Port of Brisbane]] in [[Moreton Bay]]. [[Cyclone Hamish (2009)|Cyclone Hamish]] had formed off the coast of Queensland. Subsequently, the improperly stowed cargo dislodged from the deck damaging other cargo and containers, 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.{{Source needed|date=July 2024}}

Over the following days the spill washed ashore over a 60 km stretch of coastline. In an interview, crew members stated that the captain, Bernardino Santos, was to blame for the incident. The captain decided to stay on course, directly through the storm. As the ship encountered heavy swells, the 20 crew members went below deck, fearing for 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 ship 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 it docked in Brisbane.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kelmeny Fraser and Daryl Passmore |work=Herald Sun|date=15 March 2009 |access-date=16 March 2009 |title=Skipper blamed |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25187797-662,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316002358/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0%2C21985%2C25187797-662%2C00.html |archive-date=16 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Swire Group|Swire Shipping]] initially reported that only 20 tonnes had been spilled. This was later revised to 30 tonnes, 100 tonnes,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Swire Shipping|date=13 March 2009|access-date=13 March 2009|title=Pacific Adventurer Incident|url=http://www.swireshipping.com/web/news.jsp?fid=368| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090318021110/http://www.swireshipping.com/web/news.jsp?fid=368| archive-date= 18 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> 230 tonnes<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff Writer|publisher=ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)|date=14 March 2009|access-date=14 March 2009|title=Oil spill crisis multiplied tenfold|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/14/2516277.htm| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090317054815/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/14/2516277.htm| archive-date= 17 March 2009 | url-status= dead}}</ref> and 250 tonnes.<ref name="BT6">{{cite web|author=Andrew Wight|work=Brisbane Times|date=15 March 2009|access-date=15 March 2009|title=Clean-up efforts continue|url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/cleanup-efforts-continue/2009/03/15/1237054623644.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090319062020/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/cleanup-efforts-continue/2009/03/15/1237054623644.html| archive-date= 19 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff Writer |publisher=AFP |date=13 March 2009 |access-date=13 March 2009 |title=Australian beaches a 'disaster zone' after oil spill |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hDAWjR6F0vfnjnrMO4zP6Mj_7vkQ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318162818/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hDAWjR6F0vfnjnrMO4zP6Mj_7vkQ |archive-date=18 March 2009 }}</ref> After divers inspected the ship for the source of the spill, two holes were found. One, located just above the waterline, was {{convert|10|mm|in|abbr=on}} long {{convert|15|mm|in|abbr=on}} wide. The second and larger hole was underneath the ship and measured about {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|300|mm|in|abbr=on}} wide.<ref name="TA1"/>

==Affected areas==
In the days following the spill, substances washed ashore along a {{convert|60|km|mi|abbr=on}} stretch of coastline. Oil covered beaches, rocky reefs, coastal wetlands and [[Australian mangroves|mangrove wetlands]].<ref name="moscfd"/> Most of these areas were declared restricted zones and public access was limited. Radar satellite images acquired in preparation for cyclone damage captured the extent of the spill before it hit the coastline.<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff Writer |publisher=Apogee Imaging International |date=16 March 2009 |access-date=16 March 2009 |title=TerraSAR-X monitoring oil spill in Queensland |url=http://www.apogee.com.au/blog/?p=220 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318010425/http://www.apogee.com.au/blog/?p=220 |archive-date=18 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=30%}}
*[[Sunshine Coast, Queensland|Sunshine Coast]]
**[[Bokarina, Queensland|Bokarina beach]]
**[[Marcoola, Queensland|Marcoola beach]]
**[[Maroochy River]] mouth
**[[Minyama, Queensland|Minyama beach]]
**[[Mudjimba, Queensland|Mudjimba beach]]
**[[Warana, Queensland|Warana beach]]
**[[Wurtulla, Queensland|Wurtulla beach]]
{{col-break}}
*[[Moreton Bay]]
:[[Bribie Island]] – northern coastline
:[[Moreton Island]] – from Eagers Creek on the ocean beach, north around [[Cape Moreton]] and on to [[Comboyuro Point]], in Moreton Bay
*[[Brisbane River]] mouth – {{convert|500|m|ft|abbr=on}} long slick
{{col-end}}

==Clean-up==
Following the oil spill Queensland Premier [[Anna Bligh]] declared two islands and parts of the Sunshine Coast disaster areas.<ref name="BN2">{{cite web|author=Angela Macdonald-Smith|publisher=Bloomberg News|date=13 March 2009|access-date=13 March 2009|title=Australia's Queensland Declares Disaster as Oil Coats Beaches|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aZMInXpC.QLU&refer=asia}}</ref> Clean-up efforts were reportedly going to cost at least [[Australian Dollar|A$]]100,000 a day and last more than a week as the oil continued to spread. Several search parties have been sent to the spill area to attempt to find the potentially explosive materials that were in the 31 containers. Press reports stated that if the ammonium nitrate were to mix with the heavy fuel, the mixture could ignite and cause a large explosion. If the chemical did not react with the fuel but still leaked out, marine life could be threatened by large blooms of algae.<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff Writer |publisher=Transport and Logistics News |date=12 March 2009 |access-date=12 March 2009 |title=Hazardous Cargo Ship Sent into Savage Storm |url=http://tandlnews.com.au/2009/03/12/article/URKMGGLKSW.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318064115/http://tandlnews.com.au/2009/03/12/article/URKMGGLKSW.html |archive-date=18 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> By 15 March, the cost of the spill jumped to $A10 million (US$6.6 million).<ref name="CM2">{{cite web|author=Brian Williams, Patrick Lion and Alison Sandy |work=The Courier-Mail|date=15 March 2009 |title=Oil spill ship skipper Bernadino Santos has passport seized |url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,27574,25191367-3102,00.html |access-date=14 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319161345/http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0%2C27574%2C25191367-3102%2C00.html |archive-date=19 March 2009 }}</ref> A team of 88 people were sent out to begin the clean-up process and a further 58 were expected to join within the following days.<ref name="BT7">{{cite news | author=Christine Kellett | work=The Brisbane Times | date=13 March 2009 | title=Oil slick puts Moreton Island drinking water at risk | url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/oil-slick-threatens-water-supply/2009/03/13/1236447442720.html | access-date=14 July 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416091931/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/oil-slick-threatens-water-supply/2009/03/13/1236447442720.html | archive-date=16 April 2009 | url-status=live }}</ref> On 16 March, the Royal Australian Navy began searching for the 31 containers of ammonium nitrate that were knocked off the ship. A navy minehunter was sent to look for the containers to reduce the amount of impact the chemical could cause.<ref name="AP2">{{cite web|author=Dennis Passa |publisher=Associated Press |date=16 March 2009 |access-date=16 March 2009 |title=Australian navy to help spill clean up |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hyxN0-euQHg86qF7mqlLLPeUgn-QD96UVS580 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240524084424/https://www.webcitation.org/5fJqrOMpZ?url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hyxN0-euQHg86qF7mqlLLPeUgn-QD96UVS580 |archive-date=24 May 2024 }}</ref>

The clean-up was a delicate operation, because high tides had already eroded beaches after ex-tropical cyclone Hamish battered the coast over the previous week. At the same time, high tides carried off some of the fuel oil initially deposited along shorelines and dispersed it back into the sea. By 15 March, the federal government reported that 50% of the oil had been contained and that the slick had been removed from about 95% of Bribie Island, 85% of the Sunshine Coast and 25% of the waters around Moreton Island.<ref name="TA1">{{cite news | author=AAP | work=The Age | date=15 March 2009 | access-date=15 March 2009 | title=Government says it has oil spill under control | url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/government-says-it-has-oil-spill-under-control-20090315-8yq7.html?page=-1| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090318001901/http://www.theage.com.au/national/government-says-it-has-oil-spill-under-control-20090315-8yq7.html?page=-1| archive-date= 18 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> On Moreton Island, 290 people worked to clean up the oil, with most focusing on Middle Creek and Cape Moreton.<ref name="BT6"/> Even though hundreds of people had worked on cleaning the spill, the average amount of oil cleaned each day was {{convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} per day. At that rate, it would have taken more than a month to clean all the affected areas.<ref>{{cite web|author=Connie Levett|work=The Age|date=15 March 2009|access-date=15 March 2009|title=Oil spill could take a month to clean|url=http://www.theage.com.au/environment/oil-spill-could-take-a-month-to-clean-20090314-8yhd.html?page=2| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090318213835/http://www.theage.com.au/environment/oil-spill-could-take-a-month-to-clean-20090314-8yhd.html?page=2| archive-date= 18 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> The Federal Government promised to provide $A2 million (US$1.3 million) to help with the clean-up.<ref>{{cite web|author=Stephanie Peatling|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=17 March 2009|access-date=17 March 2009|title=Navy joins search for containers|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/navy-joins-search-for-containers-20090316-8zyl.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090318002701/http://www.smh.com.au/national/navy-joins-search-for-containers-20090316-8zyl.html| archive-date= 18 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

===Clean-up in process ===
In late July 2010, the clean-up effort was declared "complete". Federal Environment Minister [[Peter Garrett]] attended clean-up sites to celebrate the end of clean-up efforts.<ref name="moscfd"/> 1,425 personnel took 16 months to clean up 155 hectares of coastal area and included installation of 21,220 plants and 2.6 km of fencing to protect recovering vegetation.<ref name="moscfd"/>

==Effects and consequences==
{{Update|inaccurate=yes|date=May 2012}}

===Disaster declaration===
Shortly after the slick washed ashore the Queensland government declared a state of emergency.<ref name="CourierMail"/> The disaster declaration restricted public access to beaches affected by the oil slick and allow clean-up teams unobstructed access. The declaration covers all of Moreton Island, coastal waters and beaches in the Sunshine Coast, Redcliffe and Brisbane disaster districts and the southern tip of Bribie Island to Point Arkwright.{{Source needed|date=July 2024}}

===Local economy===
Several of the local restaurants which receive shipments of fish from the waters off the Queensland coast refused to stock any more fish due to the spill. The cost of the clean-up also hurt the economy, costing at least A$10 million.<ref name="CM2"/> In July 2009 the total bill was estimated to be A$34 million.<ref>{{cite web|author=Steve Gray and Jessica Marszalek|work=The Age|date=5 July 2009|access-date=10 November 2009|title=Qld unlikely to recover oil spill costs|url=http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/qld-unlikely-to-recover-oil-spill-costs-20090705-d8oy.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426172946/http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/qld-unlikely-to-recover-oil-spill-costs-20090705-d8oy.html|archive-date=26 April 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
The Australian Government provided A$750,000 to help jump-start the tourist industry. Fourteen of the 19 beaches affected along the Sunshine Coast that had been cleaned were reopened in March 2009.<ref>{{cite web|author=Daniel Hurst|work=Brisbane Times|date=17 March 2009|access-date=17 March 2009|title=Govt allocates $750k to keep tourism afloat after oil spill|url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/750k-campaign-to-keep-tourism-afloat-after-oil-spill/2009/03/17/1237054808103.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090318152538/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/750k-campaign-to-keep-tourism-afloat-after-oil-spill/2009/03/17/1237054808103.html| archive-date= 18 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

===Fines and legal implications===
Once the ship was at port, Captain Santos was forced to surrender his passport to Australian officials and he was to remain in Brisbane for at least two weeks to help with the investigation. On 14 October 2011, Swire Navigation and Bluewind Shipping were fined $A600,000 each and ordered to publish a public apology after earlier pleading guilty to causing the spill. The court heard the two companies have already paid $A17.5 million under a limitation order in the Federal Court, as well as an additional $A7.5 million to help cover the $A31 million cost of cleaning up the damage. Charges against Santos were dropped earlier in the week.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/oil-spill-companies-fined-1-2-million-20111014-1loqd.html|title=Oil-spill companies fined $1.2 million|date=2011-10-14|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2020-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410083825/https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/oil-spill-companies-fined-1-2-million-20111014-1loqd.html|archive-date=10 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Wildlife===
The [[Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland)|Environmental Protection Agency]] reports that the full extent of wildlife affected by the spill has yet to be realised. "The flow-on effects of oil spills can be substantive," according to a spokesperson for the agency. "The longer-term impacts are yet to be realised." Several birds have been found covered with oil.<ref name="CourierMail"/> By 17 March, about 30 animals had been recovered after being covered with oil. All of the animals were immediately treated and cleaned.<ref name="TA2">{{cite web|author=Adam Morton and Cosima Marriner|work=The Age|date=17 March 2009|access-date=17 March 2009|title=Oil spill to require lengthy eco-monitoring|url=http://www.theage.com.au/environment/oil-spill-to-require-lengthy-ecomonitoring-20090316-8zwn.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090317171856/http://www.theage.com.au/environment/oil-spill-to-require-lengthy-ecomonitoring-20090316-8zwn.html| archive-date= 17 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> Oiled animals included pelicans, ghost crabs and sea snakes.<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.news.com.au/national/saving-wildlife-from-a-man-made-disaster/story-e6frfkvr-1225699433381|title = Queensland oil spill: saving wildlife from a man-made disaster|date = 2009-03-14|access-date = 2014-08-14|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140814081630/http://www.news.com.au/national/saving-wildlife-from-a-man-made-disaster/story-e6frfkvr-1225699433381|archive-date = 14 August 2014|url-status = live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Queensland}}
*[[2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill]]
*[[Environmental issues in Australia#Oil spills|Environmental issues in Australia]]
*[[List of oil spills]]
*[[Spill containment]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikinews|Oil spill hits Australia's Sunshine coastline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090316095535/http://www.abc.net.au/news/infographics/moreton-oilspill/default.htm Map of affected areas from ABC News]

{{DEFAULTSORT:2009 Southeast Queensland Oil Spill}}
[[Category:2009 in Australia|Southeast Queensland oil spill]]
[[Category:Pollution in Australia]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 2009|Southeast Queensland oil spill]]
[[Category:2009 industrial disasters|Southeast Queensland Oil Spill, 2009]]
[[Category:Disasters in Queensland]]
[[Category:2009 in the environment]]
[[Category:South East Queensland]]
[[Category:2000s in Queensland]]
[[Category:Oil spills in Australia]]
[[Category:Environmental history of Australia]]

2009 southeast Queensland oil spill - Revision history

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