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| Oil-slick minor: waterways authority
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The New South Wales waterways Authority says it has decided not to use oil-spill booms to treat a slick from the British warship that ran aground off Lord Howe Island last night.
A light oil slick stretching for about a kilometre has leaked from HMS Nottingham, but wind is pushing the diesel out to sea.
The Warship's Commander Richard Farrington estimates that up to 80 tonnes of diesel could escape, but says if it floats and disperses it is unlikely to cause much environmental damage to the world heritage-listed area.
Waterways Authority chief executive Matthew Taylor says boats' propellors are being used to break the slick up and oil-spill booms are not needed at this stage.
"We do have them ... some on stand by here, to go there if the situation worsens but at the moment there's really no point in using them," he said.
"The slick is of such a minor effect at the moment and also the weather's been a bit rough up until now, to use booms in the open sea."
ABC NEWS
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