Roll with it

摘要

Had the accident that befell the containership Pacific Adventurer off Cape Moreton, Queensland, not resulted in the loss of 270 tonnes of fuel oil from the ship's bunker tanks, soiling 38 miles of the states beaches, the incident may well have gone unremarked. No one was injured and the 31 containers that were pitched off the ship's deck in rolling seas sank and were consequently no threat to other shipping. However, the loss of the fuel oil and the despoiling of ecologically sensitive waters meant that Australia's National Plan was activated by Maritime Safety Queensland. The authorities having become involved, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigated the incident and has now released its report.