VIC: Marine centre called in to help in oil spill

AAP General News (Australia)
08-04-1999
VIC: Marine centre called in to help in oil spill

MELBOURNE, Aug 4 AAP - A national authority responsible for cleaning up marine oil spills
had been called in to help with the Sydney Harbour clean-up.

The Geelong-based Australian Marine Oil Spill Centre was called in as a massive clean-up
was underway today after thousands of litres of crude oil poured into the harbour.

Thousands of litres of oil spilled from a tanker unloading its cargo at Shell's Gore Bay
terminal last night and spread along the harbour foreshore.

The spill occurred as the tanker Laura D'Amato unloaded its cargo of light crude oil at
Shell's Gore Bay terminal last night.

A spokesman for the oil spill centre, established by the oil industry in 1991, said it had
a stockpile of equipment based at strategic points around Australia for combating oil spills.

He said staff from the centre were "well versed in the latest spill technologies, including
developments with environmentally friendly dispersants".

Other authorities involved in the clean-up include Shell, the NSW Fire Brigades and the
Sydney Ports Corporation.

The Defence Force also will bring in two oil recovery vessels from Brisbane to help with
the clean-up.

The vessels and four staff would be flown in two C-130 aircraft from Amberley Air Force
Base to Sydney this afternoon, the Emergency Management Australia (EMA) said.

AAP st/ls/er/km/pwa/bwl/br

KEYWORD: TANKER MARINE

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