Investigators "will leave no stone unturned" as they attempt to discover what caused an oil spill that has polluted a 50km stretch of beach on Fraser Island.
A major clean-up began on the World Heritage-listed island on Wednesday morning as Queensland Ports Minister Mark Bailey labelled the spill "unacceptable".
Mr Bailey declared everything would be done find the offending ship.
"We'll leave no stone unturned," he said.
"We've taken samples of the oil spill and we'll be doing everything that we can to identify the vessel responsible for that."
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A list of ships known to have been in the area recently is being compiled.
Mr Bailey said the spill had left a thin layer of "patties" scattered along the affected area, which stretches from Eurong Beach to Dilli Village.
"This is a pristine, World Heritage-listed Fraser Island," he said.
"We've got an absolute right to be disgusted by this behaviour by a vessel operator."
It's unknown how long the clean-up will take or how long deposits will continue to be washed up.
Although the patties are small, ranging in size from a five-cent piece to a five dollar note, Maritime Safety Queensland is not taking any chances.
MSQ general manager Patrick Quirk said the initial priority was to clean the island before beginning analysis to determine the source of the oil.
"Our aim is to keep our environment, our beaches, our reefs pristine. They are world class assets, world heritage assets and we get very upset when this happens," Mr Quirk told ABC radio.
Mr Bailey said about 24 officers from Maritime Safety, Roadtek, Queensland Police and Queensland Parks and Wildlife had begun the painstaking process of removing the patties by rake and shovel.
Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles said no wildlife appeared to be affected by the spill and the clean-up should minimise any environmental impacts.
The incident follows an oil spill on the island in July 2015, when 10-15 tonnes of oil was spilled off Cape Upstart.
Maximum fines for a discharge offence can include up to $11.78 million under Queensland law, and $17 million under commonwealth law.
