"It was not able to detect any material traces of oil," the spokesman said after a phone-hook-up between scientists, researchers and government agencies on Saturday morning. A further helicopter check over the area – where a fisherman on Friday morning reported an 800 metre diameter oil slick – will be run by Maritime Safety Queensland from 2pm Saturday. "That will try to find it, but it seems that they haven't been able to find much at all." The 800-metre diameter oil slick – which had broken up in patches of about one metre square - was found and confirmed on Friday evening by Maritime Safety Queensland and Townsville Water Police. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will update journalists later on Saturday afternoon.

Earlier: Specialist aircraft will leave Cairns early Saturday on an urgent mission to determine the extent of an oil spill near the Great Barrier Reef. The slick was discovered in waters off Townsville by a fisherman Friday morning and confirmed Friday evening by the state government. Pollution clean-up teams have now been placed on alert. A Townsville fisherman told the Townsville Coast Guard on Friday morning that he had seen an oil spill between 800 metres to 1000 metres long about 18 nautical miles NNE of Cape Upstart. Cape Upstart is a national park in the Whitsunday between Ayr and Bowen, with important aboriginal middens and recognised as an important ceremonial site by the Juru indigenous people.

The oil spill - in waters between the coast and the reef - was confirmed by Townsville Water police and Maritime Safety Queensland staff about 6.40pm on Friday. "We can confirm some patches of oily water have been sighted in the water south of Townsville," a Maritime Safety Queensland spokeswoman said. "An Australian Maritime Safety Authority specialised aircraft out of Cairns is being tasked for an early morning inspection tomorrow of the ocean area and also of the islands and coastline in the general areas," she said. Oil pollution teams and oil mopping resources in Townsville have now been placed on alert. A detailed recovery plan will be finalised depending on the outcome of the Saturday morning flyover of the oil spill area.

Cape Upstart has granite headland covered in a range of vegetation types from vine thicket to heath. Significant areas of beach scrub and coastal dunes are also protected in the park. Earlier Ted Winterbottom, from Townsville's Coast Guard, confirmed a fisherman reported an oil spill to them early Friday morning. "I heard the report and I put it over the radio this morning," Mr Winterbottom said. "From what I understand it is about 10 nautical miles off Cape Upstart and it is about 800 metres in diameter," he said. The hull of the fisherman's boat had oily residue, Maritime Safety inspectors confirmed on Friday.

Mr Winterbottom said Townsville Water Police left on Friday afternoon to investigate the sighting. He said he did not know if the fisherman was a local. "It was reported to me by our duty officer, when I took over this morning at 7am." "And that is all he knew; that it was an oil slick and it was about 800 metres in diameter. I can't tell you any more." Queensland Transport on Friday arranged for a second aerial helicopter flight on Friday and asked a Queensland Water Police vessel from Townsville to complete an on-site inspection.

Queensland's worst oil disaster was in March 2009, when the MV Adventurer lost 100,000 litres of fuel oil along 60 kilometres of Moreton Bay in rough seas. That spill took over 1425 people 16 months to clean up at a total cost of A$4 million. That included $2 million of public funds. The MV Adventurer also left a 500-metre oil spill in the Brisbane River - which was contained - when it docked. Don't miss important news stories. Like us on Facebook.