Ship spill taking a lingering toll

As Cyclone Hamish taunted communities along the Queensland coast, the real disaster was unfolding at sea.

The oil lost from the cargo ship Pacific Adventurer in cyclone-whipped seas on March 11 left some of Queensland's pristine beaches in a horrible mess.

And while good progress has been made in scraping up oil-soaked sand, the state will be dealing with the effects of the disaster for a long time to come.

Experts say some of the oil that washed up on Moreton Island and the Sunshine Coast could remain there for up to a year.

The toll the spill has taken on wildlife is already apparent. Teams have been working to clean contaminated birds.

Oil-slicked turtles have also been found, along with oil-stained green turtle eggs, some of which have since miraculously hatched.

Experts and volunteers are determined to do what they can to minimise the loss of life.

About 20 nests, each containing about 120 turtle eggs, remain under 24-hour watch on the Sunshine Coast to prevent newly hatched turtles from having to cross oily sand.

Dr Kassi Townsend from the Moreton Bay Research Station has said the true extent of the damage will take time to determine.

He says small creatures including pipis and crabs have also been affected so toxins could work their way up the food chain.

The spill's toxic effects are also being felt by a tourism industry that relies on the state's pristine beaches.

Tourists have cancelled bookings in droves and visitor numbers across the state have slumped after images of oil-smothered shores were shown around the world.

But Tourism Queensland and the Government hope two marketing campaigns, collectively worth more than A$2 million ($2.50 million), will help the industry bounce back.

Tourism Queensland has been quick to point out only 5 per cent of the state's beaches were affected by the spill. But that's cold comfort to 13 affected operators in Moreton Bay, who've been unable to do business.

They are contemplating a compensation claim against Swire Shipping, the owner of the Pacific Adventurer.

The state Government also plans to sue the company for the cost of the clean up, and Swire could also face fines of up to A$2 million if it's found to be negligent over the spill.

There's another element that remains unresolved. The Pacific Adventurer lost 250 tonnes of oil because 31 shipping containers packed with the fertiliser ammonium nitrate slipped from its decks in the rough weather. They punched holes in the cargo ship's hull, allowing the oil to spill into the sea.

The Navy is continuing to search for those containers, which the lucrative trawler fishing industry fears could contaminate the water, snag their nets and sink their boats.

"If we hit one, we hook up, we could roll over and lose our boat and lives easy as - and it would happen in five seconds," says seafood industry spokesman and fisherman Kevin Baker.

Navy mine hunter HMAS Yarra is using sonar equipment and remote controlled vehicles that can film the sea bed to track down the containers. So far, it's identified 23 objects that could be containers. But progress is slow.

Marine experts have said the fertiliser, if it leaks from the containers in deep water, will do only minimal environmental damage such as causing algal blooms.

- AAP