BRISBANE, Australia, March 14 (UPI) -- Authorities in Australia say a 230-ton oil spill has caused an environmental disaster along nearly 40 miles of beach off the Queensland Coast.

The amount of oil leaked since Wednesday from a Hong Kong-register freighter is 10 times larger than shipping officials initially reported, said Allan Sutherland, the mayor of Moreton Bay.


The ship's owners, Swire Shipping, failed to report the size of the spill, "hoping Mother Nature would take its course. It didn't," Sutherland said.

The oil from the Pacific Adventurer is endangering rare sea birds, dolphins, turtles and myriad other sea life in and around Moreton and Bribie Islands.

The ship was punctured in Brisbane's port when 600 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in 31 metal containers fell overboard, hitting the hull, during Cyclone Hamish, the BBC said.

The toxic sludge created by the nitrate threatens marine habitats on the sea floor and could cause harmful algae blooms and suffocate fish for miles, the BBC reported Saturday.

"This is a very serious situation," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said Friday.