A shipping container that has been leaking acid from a cargo ship at Port Botany in Sydney's south has shut down half of the Sydney port, local media reported on Monday.
The leak of nitric acid was discovered by crew on the California Senator cargo ship while it was still out at sea.
The DP World section of the wharves at Port Botany was closed at about 1 a.m. local time on Monday when the ship arrived, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported.
Superintendent Bailey of Fire and Rescue New South Wales said the closure of the DP World section meant half of the port's operations would be affected.
Hazardous materials crews have been working to remove the container form the ship.
Authorities say they are trying to determine how serious the leak is.
"We're removing the container from the ship. We're trying to get into the container," Bailey said.
Source: Xinhua