page_title: Cyclone Hamish
section_title: Oil spill
hierarchical_section_title: Cyclone Hamish / Impact / Oil spill
caption_attribution_description: English: A small, basic map of affected areas in the en:2009 Queensland oil spill. Map created by myself using the sunshine coast map as a guide.
context_page_description: Severe Tropical Cyclone Hamish was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused extensive damage to the Great Barrier Reef and coastal Queensland, Australia, in March 2009. The eighth named storm of the 2008–09 Australian region cyclone season, Hamish developed out of an area of low pressure on 4 March near the Cape York Peninsula. The storm rapidly developed into a Category 1 cyclone on the Australian intensity scale the next day. On 6 March, an eye developed, and Hamish strengthened into a Category 3 cyclone. Deep convection developed around the eye, fueling further intensification, which allowed the storm to become a Category 5 tropical cyclone late on 7 March. Hamish made its closest approach to land on 8 March, but continued moving southeastward. Eventually, the cyclone weakened and turned back towards the northwest, weakening into a remnant low on 11 March, before finally dissipating on 14 March.
context_section_description: A 183 m (600 ft) cargo ship called the MV Pacific Adventurer was carrying 60 containers of ammonium nitrate when it encountered rough seas produced by Hamish, while located about 13 km (8 mi) east of Cape Moreton. The incident occurred near to a marine animal park, which is home to endangered species. Around 3:15 a.m. EST on 11 March 31 of the containers spilled into the sea along with a large amount of heavy fuel, causing the surface of the water to become slick. Officials attempted to contain the oil spill, but the rough seas prevented easy containment. Environmentalist warned that the oil could have a significant impact on the local wildlife. One of the containers damaged the hull as it fell off the ship. After divers inspected the ship for the source of the spill, two holes were found. One, located just above the waterline, was 10 mm (0.4 in) long 15 mm (0.6 in) wide. The second and larger hole was located underneath the ship. The length of it was about 1 m (1.3 ft) and the width was 300 mm (11.8 in).
  An estimated 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and 250 tonnes of fuel spilled out of the ship. The spilled fuel initially covered an area about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) long and 500 m (1,600 ft) wide. Although ammonium nitrate is not harmful to the environment, the high concentration was proposed to have the capability of suffocating marine life in the area. The oil spill continued to expand in coverage, affecting five beaches and forcing several other beach areas to shut down. By 13 March, the oil covered an estimated 40 km (25 mi) of coastline and was several centimetres thick in places. The coverage and depth of the spill led Anna Bligh to state that the crew members of the ship were likely understating the amount of fuel that leaked out.
caption: Map of the areas affected by the oil spill
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