Cargo ship spills 31 containers of ammonium nitrate off Brisbane

AUTHORITIES say there is nothing they can do about 650 tonnes of fuel and ammonium nitrate drifting at sea off Cape Moreton.

The Pacific Adventurer, the vessel from which the ammonium nitrate containers were lost in Moreton Bay.

AUTHORITIES say there is nothing they can do about 650 tonnes of fuel and ammonium nitrate drifting at sea off Cape Moreton.

The toxic mix was released after the Pacific Adventurer container ship struck Cyclone Hamish's treacherous conditions early yesterday.

Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Captain John Watkinson said gale-force winds and abnormally high tides around the southeast Queensland coast late yesterday meant there was nothing they could do about the oil spill.

A slick that covers an estimated 5.5km by 500m is drifting in a northwesterly direction.

Capt Watkinson said there was no sign of the lost containers, and the best case scenario would be they washed up on shore.

Maritime Safety Queensland will at 7am today conduct a third flyover to search for the spilt cargo and determine a course of action, if any.

The 185m ship lost 31 of 50 shipping containers lashed to its deck about 3.15am yesterday, when it was seven nautical miles east of Cape Moreton.

The tumbling containers pierced the ship's hull, causing up to 30 tonnes of heavy fuel oil to leak into the sea. Each container held 20 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.

At noon yesterday a further three tonnes of ammonium nitrate spilled on board the ship, as it anchored in Moreton Bay. Emergency services Hazmat teams examined the ship and declared a 500m exclusion zone.

But Captain Watkinson said there was only a low danger of the ship exploding.

Environmental Protection Agency incident response adviser Mike Short said the oil slick posed the greatest threat to wildlife.

Mr Short said the ammonium nitrate "was not of big consequence".

But he said if it spilled from its containers it could be responsible for algal blooms.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

It will examine why the boat continued its path through the rough seas of Cyclone Hamish.

A spokesman from the Pacific Adventurer's owner, Swire Shipping, said the cargo was correctly stowed in line with international regulations.