The Sunshine Coast Regional Council on the south-east Queensland coast has been ordered to stop the clean-up of 8.5 kilometres of beaches that have been coated in fuel oil that leaked from a cargo ship.

The ABC has learned that Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) has told the council it is inappropriate to use machinery on the beach to clean up the oil slick and that staff should use hand tools.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Bob Abbot says he cannot understand the ruling.

"We're just thinking that's a bit ridiculous," he said.

"We can't see the reasons for that, so we're waiting for further instructions now.

"There's no way breathing that we're going to get 8.5 kilometres of beach that we know about now cleaned with shovels and rakes."

Earlier, the council's Andrew Ryan said two trucks, an excavator and a front-end loader were being used to clean up part of the oil spill on Marcoola Beach.

"The loader and the excavator are basically skimming up the sand that's got the oil in it and taking that by trucks, the large articulated trucks, to a stockpile site just in Mudjimba," he said.

"That's going to have a plastic lining underneath and that'll be stockpiled there for the short-term and MSQ need to tell us where they wish to take that to."

Disaster spreading

MSQ says it will take more than a week to clean up the spill, which leaked from cargo ship the Pacific Adventurer in heavy seas off Stradbroke Island yesterday.

The spill is worse than first thought, with authorities confirming oil has been found on another two Sunshine Coast beaches.

Oil has spread to Wurtulla Beach near Caloundra and Mudjimba Beach next to Marcoola Beach, which is one of the worst-affected areas.

Rough conditions spread the slick from Moreton Island to the Sunshine Coast.

MSQ says charges may be laid against the owner and the captain of the cargo ship.

MSQ's Captain John Watkinson says an investigation into the incident has begun.

"Some of the questions that we'll be asking [are] whether the containers were lashed properly [and] whether they were stowed properly," he said.

Captain Watkinson says 31 containers of ammonium nitrate lost overboard are still missing.

"Some of them can float but I think in the sea conditions in all likelihood they've found their way to the bottom," he said.

The shipping company could face fines up to $1.5 million.

Clean-up

The clean-up operation is expected to cost about $100,000 a day, but State Transport Minister John Mickel says there will be no cost to taxpayers.

"The full cost of this will be met where the ship's insurers pick up the cost of that," he said.

Queensland Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg says Mr Mickel must follow through on his commitment that no public money will be spent to clean up the spill.

"The [Liberal National Party's] position is that the EPA have responded appropriately," he said.

"What we now need to know is that the ship owners and the insurers will be responsible for the clean-up costs and not Queensland taxpayers."

Clean-up crews are using rakes and shovels to remove oil residue from beaches.

Reefs and wildlife

Along with the beaches, reefs and wildlife have also been covered in the oil.

Trevor Hassard from Tanglalooma Resort on Moreton Island says the oil is threatening a turtle rookery on the island's east coast.

"The potential for this to become an absolute disaster is really right there," he said.

But authorities say at this stage no marine animals have been killed.