Campers are being evacuated from parts of Moreton Island and police are manning cordons as a massive environmental clean up of South-East Queensland beaches begins following Wednesday's oil spill.
But fresh fears have emerged about the potential for the oil slick to contaminate the drinking supply on Moreton Island, which relies on an underground water table close to the site of the devastating diesel spill.
Premier Anna Bligh has declared Moreton Island, parts of the Sunshine Coast and Bribie Island a disaster zone following Wednesday's shipping accident, which saw diesel fuel spew from the damaged hull of Hong Kong cargo ship the Pacific Adventure when it lost its load of ammonium nitrate in high winds off Stradbroke Island.
------------------------
VIDEO: Oil slick hits coast near Brisbane
PHOTOS: Black sand beaches
YOUR SAY: Rate the clean-up
------------------------
Authorities initially claimed 20 tonnes of oil had been lost, however, the Premier admitted the true amount was probably much higher.
Forty kilometres of coastline have been coated in greasy, black grime, some of it "inches" thick on Moreton Island.
Trevor Hassard, from the Tangalooma Dolphin Education Centre, said the Environmental Protection Agency, National Parks, Maritime Safety Queensland, Brisbane City Council, police and ambulance officers were on Moreton Island at 5.30am today to begin the clean up.
But he said the island's isolation was making it an "impossible task".
"Normally, this stuff (oil) would be scraped off the beach and taken to a secure location and left to break down, but we can't do that here," Mr Hassard said.
"Every bucketload of contaminated sand has to be removed from the island by barge, and each bucketload from a front-end loader weighs about one tonne. It's just an impossible task.
"The other problem we have is that Moreton Island is sand, and below us is a water table that everyone on the island relies on for drinking water.
"We have to be careful with the sort of white ant treatment we use in case it leaches into the water table, so you can imagine what would happen if the oil got in there."
2009 Queensland oil spill.  200,000 litres of oil leaked into waters off the coast of Brisbane from the ''Pacific Adventurer'' when their fuel tanks were damaged in rough seas on Wednesday.  The figure is about ten times higher than the original estimate of twenty thousand litres of oil.  The devastating diesel oil spill has spread along  of the Queensland coast.  In addition, 31 containers with 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser flew overboard during the violent storm.

Questions are being asked why the Hong Kong cargo ship was out in seas with nine meter waves caused by Cyclone Hamish, a Category 5 tropical cyclone, as well as why the fertiliser containers were not properly secured. One of the overboard containers ruptured the hull of the Pacific Adventurer, causing between 30 to 100 tonnes of oil to spew from the severely damaged ship.  

If the ammonium nitrate mixes with the heavy oil, an explosion could occur. None of the containers have been recovered. Some of these may float, but it is believed that they may have sunk which then may cause algal blooms.

Disaster zones have been declared at Bribie and Moreton Islands, and along the Sunshine coast. 

The vessel's owner, Swire Shipping, reported that a second leak began on Friday, when the ship began listing after docking at Hamilton for repairs.  "As full soundings of the vessel's tanks were being taken at the port to determine how much oil had leaked from the vessel, a small quantity of fuel oil escaped from the Pacific Adventurer," it stated.  The ship was brought upright, and a recovery vessel was used to suck up the oil from the water.  The leak produced a 500m-long oil slick down the Brisbane River.  Booms were placed around this oil spill so that a skimmer could clean up the second spill.

MODIS Aqua satellite image of Severe Tropical Cyclone Hamish over the Coral Sea just off the Queensland coast.Swire Shipping could face clean up costs of AU$100,000 a day as well as fines up to AU$1.5million (US$977,000; £703,000) if found guilty of environmental breaches or negligence.

Sunshine Coast beaches are slowly starting to be reopened.  The beach of Mooloolaba was still closed following reports of burning sensations from swimmers.  12 beaches remain closed; however, 13 have been reopened.

Over 300 state government and council workers are using buckets, rakes and spades in the clean up effort.  Sunshine Coast Mayor Bob Abbott says the majority will be gone by Sunday afternoon.  The full environmental impact on wildlife is not yet known.  One turtle and seven pelicans have been found covered in oil.


There are concerns that the drinking water of Moreton Island is at risk, as the island uses water from the underground water table near the oil spill site.

"Every bucketload of contaminated sand has to be removed from the island by barge, and each bucketload from a front-end loader weighs about one tonne. It's just an impossible task,” said Mr Trevor Hassard of the Tangalooma Dolphin Education Centre.

The commercial fishing industry has suffered from the incident. Trawlers won't resume operations until Sunday evening, and any catches will be tested for human consumption.