Patches of oily water sighted off north Qld

A spokesperson from Transport and Main Roads told Daily Mail Australia that there are “unconfirmed reports of oil on the water south of Townsville”.

An helicopter spotted the oil this afternoon after an earlier sweep by a Customs aircraft failed to locate any following reports from a commercial vessel.

A spill about 800 metres in diameter was reported to Townsville Coast Guard on Friday morning by a local fisherman.

An Australian Maritime Safety Authority specialised aircraft out of Cairns is being tasked for an early morning inspection on Saturday of the ocean area and also of the islands and coastline in the general areas.

‘We’re investigating but so far haven’t been able to confirm the presence of any oil, ‘ the spokeswoman said.

“Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) has oil pollution resources and staff on standby if required in Townsville and other ports”.

Ships in the area have been asked by authorities to carry out surveillance of the waters south of Townsville. Other agencies are also prepared to activate resources.’. The oil spots were about 3 feet in diameter, but officials didn’t say the size of the area covered by the patches.

The sighting of oil near the reef is of environmental concern because the world heritage site is the largest ecosystem of its kind, hosting over 1,500 species of fish, 400 of coral and 4,000 mollusks. The resulting slick contaminated about 60 kilometers of beach and mangroves, and parts of the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Island and Bribie Island were declared disaster zones.

The spokeswoman said those agencies would meet tomorrow to “consider information reported from the morning flight [and] response options”.

It’s not yet known where the oily patches have come from or whether they’ll impact the Great Barrier Reef.