Emergency teams battle oil spill after ship collision

Emergency crews rushed to clean up an oil spill off Australia’s east coast today, following a collision between a ship and a tugboat.

Stewart Sommerlad, spokesman for Queensland Transport, said the spill happened off the eastern Queensland city of Gladstone in the early hours when the two boats collided.

He said the ship – named Global Peace – was Korean, but could not specify whether it was from North or South Korea.

“It was attempting to berth and we understand that there was a collision with a tug, and as a result the hull of the Global Peace was damaged and oil began to escape,” he said.

At least 2,641 gallons of heavy fuel entered the water, according to Queensland transport minister Paul Lucas.

“Oil clean up experts and equipment, including an oil skimmer, were dispatched to the scene,” Lucas said.

“Response teams worked through the morning to contain the oil before the tide turned and spread the fuel further into other port areas.”

Gladstone lies approximately 250 miles north of the Queensland state capital, Brisbane, and near the southern edge of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

It was not immediately clear whether the spill posed any threat to the World Heritage-listed marine park, which stretches for almost 1,200 miles north along the Queensland coast.