An ocean-going tug on Monday began towing the damaged carrier back to China, ending a complex salvage operation that started on April 3 when it struck Douglas Shoal off Rockhampton.
Ms Bligh said she was glad the vessel was finally leaving Queensland waters.
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"Like a lot of other Queenslanders we will be very glad to see the back of the Shen Neng 1 as it leaves Queensland waters," she told reporters in Rockhampton.
'Major spill avoided'
The premier praised the efforts of authorities and those involved in the salvage of the vessel.
She said salvage crews had managed to avoid a major oil spill and remove the coal from the vessel without environmental damage.
"This could have been a terrible environmental disaster - the salvage teams and the expertise that they used have just done a great job.
"I think people will be looking at this as a textbook example of how to manage it if something like this happens somewhere else in the world."
