A sunken trawler that has leaked pollutants in Bundaberg's main river could pose a danger to people's safety and the environment, a commercial fisherman and environmentalist says.
The capsized boat was first noticed in the Burnett River last week and the boat owner has been given until December 9 to move it.
Fisherman Glenn Rumsey, who founded Burnett River Clean, said the trawler's proximity to a local boat ramp was causing community angst and he was concerned it could contaminate the popular waterway.
"When I first saw the boat and it had only been in there a few hours, you could clearly see a fluid dripping out of it, like oil or diesel, and there was a lot running along the river," Mr Rumsey said.
Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) said it had deployed a floating boom around the trawler to prevent pollutants entering the waterway.
But Mr Rumsey said the pollutants were not being contained effectively.
"They have put a boom around it, but the boom is half underwater," he said.
"You can see that there is oil and fuel still leaking out of it that's contained inside the boom, but where the parts of the boom have sunk, it's just flowing back out again."
Mr Rumsey said he was also concerned the boat posed a major hazard to water users.
"The boat is laying on its side and at high tide it's under the water a fair bit, so it's hard to see," he said.
MSQ said it had marked the trawler with a lit yellow buoy to warn water users of the danger.
It said it was inspecting the vessel twice a day and adjusting the boom to ensure it was effective.
"Commercial divers acting for the insurer have sealed off vents, hatches and any other safely accessible vessel areas," MSQ said in a statement.
"We are satisfied a negligible amount of pollutants are entering the waterway and there is minimal threat to wildlife."
What happens now?
MSQ said insurers were in discussions with several salvage companies to raise the sunken boat and move it to Bundaberg Port Marina.
Mr Rumsey said the boat should be moved as soon as possible.
"It's approximately a 60-foot [18-metre] trawler. This boat would weigh 40 tonnes at least and now it's full of mud and water and everything like that," he said.
"I really don't know how they're going to get it out."
MSQ said it would reassess the options if the owner failed to move the boat by the December 9 deadline.
