Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Patrick Quirk said the ship had been refloated with no visible loss of fuel.

Salvage crews used high-pressure air to blow down the last remaining deposits of heavy oil from the breached tanks yesterday before attempting to refloat the vessel.

The 230m Shen Neng 1 vessel was loaded with 68,000 tonnes of coal and was on its way to China from Gladstone’s port when it ran aground on April 3.

Some reports suggest the ship’s watchkeeper might have been asleep when it ran aground.

Ship owner Shenzhen Energy Transport finally apologised for the accident on Friday.

First estimates had the ship leaking about 2t of heavy oil. Salvage crews have pumped out most of the remaining oil into the 50m Larcom bunker barge, which can hold up to 1500t.