There are calls for a luxury yacht that sank in waters off the Capricorn Coast almost a week ago to be urgently removed.
The multi-million-dollar vessel became damaged in rough conditions last Wednesday when it started taking on water at Statue Bay.
The Yeppoon Coast Guard's Flotilla Commander, Jim Warren, said the guard was called to assist the 27-metre-long motor cruiser and water police helped to evacuate its caretaker.
"As there were no further lives in danger, the motor cruiser was then the responsibility of the owner and Coast Guard's responsibility had ended," Flotilla Commander Warren said.
"The next day, the cruiser sank lower in the water and eventually grounded on Lammermoor Beach where it remains, awaiting removal by salvage experts."
'We just need it gone'
The washed up vessel became a spectacle during the low tide, and outraged some community members who were concerned about potential environmental damage.
Capricorn Coast Landcare president Malcolm Wells said people were picking up a variety of rubbish and debris from the beach.
"Foam mattresses, lots of plastic bottles and cans and all sorts of things," he said.
"We're also worried about bits of foam and plastic and when they break up into smaller pieces. Obviously with the marine life we already have a lot of troubles with the turtles and the fish consuming rubbish along there.
"It's frustrating as nobody seems to be able to get anything done about the boat being towed away."
Member for Keppel Brittany Lauga said the yacht needed to be urgently removed.
"Local people have had to go out and clean that up, so this boat is just sort of wreaking havoc now and we just need it gone.
"Clearly the owner is not acting quickly enough and so we need to take on this responsibility and then recoup those costs from the owner."
She said the owner would normally be given a period of notice to remove the vessel themselves.
"But I would say that this has become particularly urgent because the boat is now on the beach," she said.
MSQ working with owner
The Regional Harbour Master for Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) in the Gladstone Region, John Fallon, said MSQ was working with the owner of the vessel to salvage it.
"We have given the owner until the weekend to remove the vessel," he said.
"The wet weather later in the week is not looking good, so in that respect, we're hoping that the owner has some success in getting the vessel off the beach before the end of the week."
He said he was confident there were no pollutants on board anymore.
"We've been monitoring that situation for the last three days," he said.
"We're also confident that the vessel is in reasonably good condition, the inside of the vessel is not in the best condition, but the hull itself is in good condition and it's intact.
"That means it's still in the sort of condition that if the hole was fixed up in the bottom of it, it should be able to float away and be taken somewhere to be repaired."
Mr Fallon said in the event there was pollution on board, MSQ was prepared to deploy pollution boom around the vessel but was confident it was under control.
He said it was the owner's responsibility to recover the vessel and MSQ was operating within the bounds of its legislation.
"We operate under two areas of legislation, the Maritime Safety Act and the Maritime Pollution Act," he said.
"We have to go through due process.
He said the Act gave the owner the opportunity to get the boat off the beach before other actions were taken.
"At the moment it's not a hazard to navigation and it's not a pollution risk so it's over to the owner," he said.
"If after a reasonable period of time, and now we're looking at the weekend being a reasonable period of time, he hasn't taken action or indicated that action is about to commence, then MSQ has the right under our legislation to take over the salvage or the removal of the vessel from Queensland waters."
