A Department of Transport spokesperson told Newsport today the amount of diesel on board the vessel is believed to be ‘minimal’.

Initial reports were up to 8000 litres had spilled.

Oil slicks and piles of debris currently line the normally immaculate stretch of sand just north of the Daintree River crossing, where 17 asylum seekers from Vietnam fled into the rainforest on Sunday.

“Our marine officers responded immediately to the incident placing booms around the vessel to prevent further fuel discharge,” a department spokesperson said.

“Because diesel is a non-persistent light oil which readily disperses and evaporates on exposure to sun and wave action, it is not expected to have any long-term environmental impact.

“We are working closely with state and commonwealth agencies to complete the clean-up, refloat and remove the vessel over the next few days.”

Daintree locals, MSQ officers and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service indigenous rangers continue to move the shoreline debris above the high water mark for disposal.

The trawler was first identified by local fishermen at around 6am on Monday morning, although it’s believed it entered the coastal waters at nightfall on Sunday.

The detainees on board have been sent to a detention centre on Christmas Island to have their asylum claims assessed.

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