By Trish Corcoran
SYDNEY — On the evening of August 3, residents from the north shore of Sydney Harbour were overwhelmed by a "gassy" smell. Hundreds of calls were received by emergency services. The stink was caused by a spill of 80,000 litres of light crude oil into the cherished harbour from a ship at Shell's Gore Cove terminal. By morning, a 10-kilometre long slick had engulfed the harbour.
It was a public relations disaster for Shell. Even the performance of La Boheme at the Opera House had to be cancelled. One of the worst affected areas was the foreshore below Kirribilli House — not even prime ministers can escape environmental disasters.
Investigations revealed that two valves on the oil tanker Laura D'Amato were left open or incorrectly sealed as it pumped its cargo ashore. The ship's owner, Fratelli D'Amato, said that it will take responsibility for the costs incurred to clean up the spill.
The oil spill was the third in Australia within a six-week period. On July 30, there was a 270,000 litre spill at Port Stanvac that polluted Adelaide's beaches, and on June 28, a 23,000 litre light crude spill occurred off the coast of Western Australia.
The August 6 Sydney Morning Herald reported that 300 ships have been detained in Australian ports over the last 18 months for serious maintenance and equipment deficiencies. On average, a ship is detained in Sydney every fortnight for rust, leaks and equipment repairs.
These facts raise serious concerns about international shipping safety standards as large corporations cut corners and put the environment at risk.
The Australian Conservation Foundation has called for a Senate inquiry into risks and prevention in oil exploration, production and distribution.
ACF executive director Don Henry called for greater account to be taken of oil spill risks before the industry is allowed access to vulnerable marine areas. "The oil industry has been allowed to bid for exploration in the Australian Bight basin. A spill in this area would threaten the whale breeding grounds in South Australia and interfere with whale migration", he said.
According to the ACF, the toxicity of oil and the dispersants used to clean it up have major effects on many marine organisms. Marine mammals and birds are especially affected by physical contamination and toxic fumes from vaporising oil. Fish spawn can be affected by the initial oil slick and residual oil.
Scientific reports 10 years after the disastrous Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska show that commercial fish spawn are still deformed, and the reproduction rates of many fish and mammal species are still in decline.
The Maritime Union of Australia has raised concerns over the number of "flag of convenience" ships that enter Sydney Harbour. The Laura D'Amato was an Italian-owned ship, crewed mainly with Filipino labour. Paddy Crumlin, acting national secretary of the MUA, said, O"The ship is providing rock bottom bargain basement freight rates and it can do this because it employs Third World labour".
Calls have been made for Sydney Harbour not to be used for container shipping or the unloading of hazardous substances. Shell would most likely shift its terminal to the working-class area of Botany Bay if forced to close its Gore Cove operations. Such dangerous and polluting industries should be located away from all residential areas.
While there is such a poor standard of international ship licensing, and large corporations place profits above environmental safety, disasters like the Sydney Harbour spill will continue to happen.