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BHP chartered the Iron Baron to deliver manganese ore and other mining products to Launceston. Somehow, on July 11, the ship went well off course and grounded on a reef near the Tamar River mouth. When finally towed free, it had already spewed at least 200 tonnes of fuel oil into the sea. Another 300 tonnes of oils reportedly continued to leak over the next fortnight as the ship was assessed, declared unsalvageable and finally scuttled. The amount of oil spilled may be greater than publicised at the time. The Tasmanian Conservation Trust (TCT) received advice from a marine engineer that "vessels such as the Iron Baron would be expected to carry approximately 150 tonnes of light fuel oil (diesel), for running generators and ancillary equipment, and 60 tonnes of lubricating oil ... The total amount of petroleum based pollutants ... may have been closer to 800 tonnes than the generally accepted quantity of 550 tonnes." The vessel trailed oil to its scuttling site in 4000 metres of water. At least 70 tonnes of fuel is acknowledged to have gone down with the ship and will almost certainly continue to leak into the sea. The accident coated adjacent shores with a devastating oil slick. According to the TCT's John Bryan, Parks and Wildlife officials estimate 12,000 penguins (50%) from one rookery alone have disappeared. Bryan is very critical of many aspects of the clean-up operation. He feels the emphasis on dispersants to break up the slick was inappropriate, as these are toxic chemicals in their own right and they simply spread the contamination over a wider area. Other possibilities, such as application of fertiliser to enhance natural bacterial breakdown of the oil, were not followed up. The TCT's report says that there was insufficient effort to remove oil from the stricken vessel, and that the Launceston Port Authority appeared to have been inadequately prepared for an oil spill of this size.