A LOADED fuel trailer has spilled around 10,000 litres of diesel on Flinders Island, Tasmania, prompting clean-up efforts aimed at keeping the fuel away from the coastline.
The diesel was spilled onto the land at Port of Lady Barron, the primary commercial port for Flinders Island.
DCN understands the incident occurred on Tuesday morning while the independently owned and operated trailer was parked beyond the port’s gates, though still within the port precinct.
TasPorts chief executive officer Anthony Donald said in a statement a containment area was quickly established around the spill site.
“TasPorts has mobilised specialist employees to Flinders Island to lead the spill response and is continuing to actively monitor the surrounding coastal environment for any potential evidence of marine contamination,” Mr Donald said.
He said the current focus is on removing surplus diesel from the ground surface while a plan is developed to clean up the contaminated soil.
“As an appropriate contingency, TasPorts is deploying an oil spill on-water boom whilst teams on the ground focus on creating diversion trenches around the surrounding area to mitigate any contamination from reaching the coastline,” he said.
“TasPorts is working with relevant agencies as part of the response, including the Environmental Protection Authority, as well as the owner of the fuel container in relation to the incident.”
DCN has been informed that port operations were not impacted as the spill occurred outside the port’s boundaries.
No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
