According to the media report Queensland fishermen are hopeful to get compensation of the oil spill happened a year ago. Queensland Seafood Industry Association spokesman Winston Harris the affected fishermen will soon be compensated. A year ago 75 kilometre stretch of coastline from Moreton Island to the Sunshine Coast was coated with oil after the cargo ship Pacific Adventurer spilt about 270 tonnes of heavy fuel oil off Moreton Island.
The owner of the Pacific Adventurer, Swire Shipping, agreed to pay $25 million towards the clean-up cost, last August. Winston Harris said that they are working towards a time frame which is around the middle of this year. Premier Anna Bligh says lessons have been learnt and the Government is now better prepared for such a disaster.
The Government informed that two reports released yesterday found the response to the disaster was effective but there was room for improvement. Meanwhile, the Sunshine Coast Mayor has defended the council’s use of heavy machinery to remove oil from the region’s beaches after the spill. Infrastructure services executive director Andrew Ryan says there could still be oil residue in areas but there are also other possible explanations for the appearance of an oily substance.
