Oil spill response continues
Maritime Safety Queensland is continuing an operation to recover fuel oil spilled into the Brisbane River during a ship refuelling operation at Hamilton Wharves yesterday morning.
Maritime Safety Queensland Acting General Manager Jim Huggett said the operation was making good progress with recovery crews optimistic that they could finish the clean-up in coming days.
“On water inspections have reported the amount of visible oil has significantly reduced and our response efforts today are focused on removing oil from around the wharves where the spill occurred,” Mr Huggett said.
About 16 000 litres of oily water was recovered yesterday, with another 10 000 litres of oily water recovered this morning.
Shore-based trucks were again being used to suck the fuel oil trapped between the ship and the wharf, while skimmers were continuing to operate in the area contained by booms.
The oil was lost about 6.45 am yesterday during the refuelling of a cargo ship, the GL Lan Xiu, by a refuelling vessel, the Valiant III, at Hamilton Number 4 Wharf.
A Maritime Safety Queensland investigation is continuing with officers speaking to crew members, physically inspecting both vessels, reviewing the refuelling operation and looking at documentation.
