Swire oil spill worse than first thought

Swire oil spill worse than first thought    A Swire Shipping vessel that lost 31 containers overboard and had a fuel tank holed on Wednesday during a storm was more badly damaged than first thought.
   Swire said Friday it has received a report from a diver who examined the hull of the Pacific Adventure and the survey found “damage suffered as a result of Cyclone Hamish is greater than initially understood, and it is likely that substantially more oil has spilled than the earlier estimate of 42.5 cubic meters,” or 42.5 tons.
   The accident has set off a political storm in Australia, where oil is coating beaches around Southeast Queensland.
   The Australian Broadcasting Co. said Moreton and Bribie Island and southern parts of the so-called “Sunshine Coast” have been declared disaster zones, and today that Queensland’s Sustainability Minister Andrew McNamara warned the worst is yet to come and that oil is going to come ashore over a period of a couple of weeks.
   It said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh rejected claims the government tried to hide the extent of the problem as ridiculous.
   Swire has said it regrets the extent of the environmental pollution caused by spills of the heavy fuel oil from the ship and pledge assistance with the clean up.