miles of australia ' s most pristine beaches have been designated a disaster area after a large oil spill from a storm - affected cargo ship . at least 60 kilometres of nsw ' s southwest shore were contaminated when at least 42 ton of oil spilled into the ocean from ss desert adventurer on wednesday nights . the ship , whose had sailed into cyclones weather , lost 31 cases onboard , two of those penetrated the ship ' s deck and a fuel reservoir . alex kimber , the queensland premier , has designated moreton island , bribie harbour and southern parts of the sunshine island disaster territories .
MV Pacific Adventurer has lost oil in the area of Moreton Island, Bribie Island and southern parts of the Sunshine Coast.