Oil-slicked Sunshine coast may never recover

EXPERTS say the Queensland coast might never recover completely from the Pacific Adventurer oil spill, although the estimated cost of the clean-up continues to climb.One of Australia's worst oil disasters saw the cyclone-buffeted cargo ship Pacific Adventurer leak 270,000 litres of fuel into Moreton Bay in March, blackening beaches on Moreton and Bribie islands and along the Sunshine Coast. Premier Anna Bligh declared the area a disaster zone. Clive Cook, chairman of the group charged with the long-term rehabilitation of the affected areas, on Wednesday told the Queensland Coastal Conference there was no clear timetable for recovery.He said there was "huge debate'' over when the clean-up would end. "How long is a piece of string?'' he asked delegates at the conference held on the Gold Coast. Mr Cook said his staff had dedicated more than 14,600 hours to the clean-up since March, but the work would continue indefinitely. The clean-up bill, last estimated by Transport Minister Rachel Nolan at $25 million, now stood at $27 million, he said. The state government is seeking full payment of the cost from the Pacific Adventurer's owner, Swire Shipping. In hindsight, Queensland was incredibly lucky the damage was not worse, Mr Cook said. Experts had initially expected bird fatalities in the thousands, but it ended up caring for fewer than 50 animals, including a flock of pelicans. The pelicans were given a clean bill of health on Sunday and marked for return to Moreton Bay. "We were extremely lucky in this event,'' Mr Cook said. He said it was fortunate Cyclone Hamish had kept wildlife away from the affected area in March. AAP