A dead humpback whale calf has been found caught in the propeller of a tug boat at a coal terminal on the Great Barrier Reef, in an incident set to inflame concerns about environmental risks to the marine area.
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The incident happened on Tuesday night while the tug was towing a coal vessel operated by the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance at Hay Point, 40 kilometres south of Mackay.
Divers were still working at the site on Wednesday afternoon to remove the dead animal from under the boat.
The accident has been referred to state and federal regulators but the Queensland government has moved to cast doubt on whether the whale calf was killed during the incident, indicating it may have already been dead before it was struck by the boat.
Environment groups have seized on the incident as a sign of things to come if mining companies are allowed to expand their shipping activities through the Great Barrier Reef from terminals at the more northern port of Abbot Point.
Hay Point is one of the largest coal export terminals in the world and services mines in the Bowen Basin in central Queensland, while terminals at Abbot Point would ship coal from the Galilee Basin.
A spokesman for North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation said the whale calf was hit about 8pm on Tuesday as the Bulgu was towing a vessel out to sea.
The crew became aware something was wrong when they were about three kilometres offshore and suffered engine failure.
"The tug returned to its holding vessel at the Hay Point Services Terminal where the deceased animal was discovered still in contact with the vessel," the spokesman said.
Divers found the dead whale lodged under the vessel on Wednesday morning and the RSPCA was called.
The divers will have to free the carcass, which will then be lifted by crane onto a council truck for disposal.
"It is unknown if the animal died before or during the incident," the spokesman said.
"The incident was reported to both state and federal regulators in keeping with requirements. Those regulators will decide if any investigations occur. All parties will cooperate with any investigations."
The spokesman said it was unclear how the accident occurred but the ports corporation was assisting authorities and took "incidents such as these seriously".
"As the port authority for the Port of Hay Point NQBP is committed to a responsible environmental approach that seeks to, where possible, prevent, and always to reduce and manage any port impacts on the environment," he said.
WWF Australia has called for a full investigation into how the animal was hit and whether it was already dead or killed as a result of the accident.
"WWF is deeply concerned about this incident," marine campaigner Richard Leck said.
"We think there needs to be a thorough review and that this highlights the challenge of operating mega industrial ports alongside the Great Barrier Reef."
Mr Leck said it was the peak time of year for humpback whale migration and their numbers were increasing.
"If we also increase shipping traffic from big coal vessels at the same time as humpback numbers are increasing this incident is an insight into what we'll be seeing more and more along the reef," he said.
The incident comes as the Federal Parliament resumed debate on Wednesday on a government proposal to repeal a section of Australia's environment laws to hinder the ability of environment groups to mount legal challenges to big developments.
That proposal was launched after the federal court set aside the environmental approval for Indian company Adani's Carmichael coal mine, which would ship coal through the Great Barrier Reef.
In a statement, BHP Billiton said it was sad to discover of the calf's death but was still investigating the circumstances.
"BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and its employees were very sad to learn a whale calf had died in Hay Point tug boat harbour," it said.
"The circumstances surrounding how the whale calf died are unclear.
"BMA notified North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) of the incident this morning. NQBP is the incident manager, and has notified the relevant government authorities."
