Queensland got it right: Exxon investigator

Andrew Wight, Brisbane Times 27 Mar 09;

The chief chemical investigator into the Exxon Valdez has vindicated the Queensland Government's response to the oil spill in Moreton Bay two weeks ago.

Dr Jeffrey Short, a 30-year veteran of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said Premier Anna Bligh was right not to order the immediate deployment of dispersal planes after the 230-tonne spill, which occurred after containers lost in rough seas from the Pacific Adventurer pierced the hull.

"In your case (Moreton Bay), the high winds and high seas at the time would have made dispersant or booms ineffective, so I don't think you could have helped that," Dr Short told brisbanetimes.com.au from his home in Washington DC.

Dr Short played a key role in the 1987 spill, in which the Exxon Valdez poured 40 million litres of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska, resulting in the death of seabirds, seals and other wildlife.

While the Exxon Valdex spilled much more oil than the Pacific Adventurer, Dr Short urged the State Government to heed the lessons of the past.

Tourism could be affected if proper care wasn't taken,Dr Short said.

"After the Exxon spill, no one wanted to come to Alaska.

"Even places hundreds of kilometres away were deserted by tourists.

"The main lesson that we learnt from Exxon Valdez was that you really don't want the oil to get to the shore and once it does, every moment is vital."

Dr Short said it was preferable for oil to wash up on beaches.
"The oil that's on the open sand beaches isn't going to last very long," he said.

"The tides govern how much flushing occurs. A tide of a couple of metres is quite a lot of flushing.

"Most of the oil was removed from the beach in the first few years after the (Exxon) spill."

Dr Short also said it was fortunate little oil had made its way into freshwater marshes or mangroves on Moreton island.

"If the oil gets into the root systems of mangroves, it can't be gotten out," he said.
"This oil is quite toxic to fish eggs. With bunker oil , it has a higher density and it's just buoyant enough to get floated onto the beach and when they mixed with any sand at all, the oil sinks in.

"The oil gets into crab burrows, kills the crabs and then forms this plug that stays in there."

Dr short said the oil from the Exxon spill lasted much longer than predicted.

"Even years later, the oil is still there, still causing toxic effects."

Meanwhile, an independent panel of scientists, chaired by Australian Institute of Marine Science CEO Dr Ian Poine, is also satisfied with the government's handling of the clean-up so far.

Maritime Safety Queensland head Captain John Watkinson said the panel has vindicated their approach.

"They've given an endorsement of the work presently being undertaken and they're going to continue to monitor that progress of operation," he said.