The AMWU has called on the Queensland Government to demand that the Pacific Adventurer be repaired in Brisbane before being allowed to sail home past the Great Barrier Reef.

Swire Shipping – the owner of the boat which leaked oil along the Queensland Coast in March - plans to transfer it back to Singapore for repairs, something AMWU Secretary Andrew Dettmer says is ludicrous.

“This boat has already gushed thousands of litres of oil up the Sunshine Coast,” Mr Dettmer said.

“Any idea that it should be sailed back out of Hamilton and up the Australian coast line to Singapore is completely ridiculous.

“We’ve got no shortage of competent and skilled tradespeople who can repair it here.”

Mr Dettmer said that Australian company Forgacs was willing and able to conduct the repairs on the boat in Brisbane.

“Having the Pacific Adventurer repaired locally would be a win-win situation for the state,” he said.

“Firstly, you’re creating work for a successful local company and secondly, you’re not sending a boat in poor condition past the Great Barrier Reef and other pristine ocean areas.

“The State Government really needs to put its foot down here and tell Swire Shipping that that vessel is not leaving until its repairs are complete.”

The Pacific Adventurer was damaged in heavy storms off the Queensland coast in March, losing 31 containers of ammonium nitrate overboard. The containers damaged the ship’s hull, causing at least 30 tonnes of fuel oil to spill into the ocean.

Forgacs has Queensland facilities in Brisbane and Gladstone, NSW facilities in Sydney and four sites in Newcastle and works in the commercial sector and the Royal Australian Navy.