Oil Spill and Red Tape Puts Our Wildlife at Risk

The Sunshine Coast (Queensland) is still reeling from one of the worst environmental disasters in Australian history – and definitely one of the worst ever in Queensland. It is in the form of a 250-tonne oil spill from the ship, Pacific Adventurer, that was travelling from Newcastle to Indonesia, via Brisbane on March 11. During the bad weather that Cyclone Hamish created, the ship lost 31 containers of ammonium nitrate overboard. The falling containers pierced the ship’s fuel tanks, causing the oil spill.

The irony to this disaster is that the owners of the Pacific Adventurer, the Swire Group, a Hong Kong global private enterprise had put together an environmental policy with the aim of, I quote Richard Kendall, the Hong Kong Managing Director of the China Navigation Company (Swire’s shipping division):

“ensure that its business practices minimise or eliminate where possible, detrimental effects on the environment”.

Major ‘Ooops!’ in that department folks! Swire Group employees are now facing investigations and possible criminal charges for unsafe practices.

The tragedy is that the oil spill has not only blackened the ocean and turned surrounding beaches (Including parts of Moreton Island – mostly nature reserve) into an “oily wasteland” it has also put our wildlife in danger – some species which already suffer a precarious balance between survival and extinction. This includes dugongs and turtles that come to shore to lay their eggs, as well as Beachstone Curlews and Sooty Oystercatchers that nest just above the high tide mark.

Currently ‘red tape’ is slowing down efforts to save the wildlife, and word has it that anger in the community is growing – aimed at the government, as the EPA failed to respond to the disaster until two days after it had been reported.

Consequently in some places there are birds, particularly Pelicans, that have been covered in oil for several days now as experienced Wildlife Carers have battled against the ‘red tape’ to get access to the animals.

Of course safety is an issue, with EPA workers dressed in coasts and gloves attempting to help the wildlife. These EPA workers have been working tirelessly for days – but unfortunately, many lack the experience of working with large seabirds and are therefore taking longer in the efforts to save them. One worker even remarked they were scared of handling the Pelicans as they had never done so before, and another admitted they simply didn’t know what they were doing.

The tragedy then is not only an oil spill caused by a ship, a future environmental disaster due to the highly poisonous contents of the 31 containers that went overboard and are now lost at sea, but the bureaucratic bungle that may support some egos, but leaves our much treasured wildlife and environment to suffer.

Popularity: 3% [?]