The company carrying out Victoria's controversial channel deepening project says it has detected land contaminated by a fuel spill.
The Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) said the area of land affected was "small", with the contamination found in the vicinity of the Newport pipeline corridor on the western bank of the Yarra River, south of the West Gate Bridge.
There was no evidence of any current pipeline leakage and the contamination may have resulted from a historic spill or leak, the PoMC said.
But while the extent, age and source of the contamination was still being investigated, the PoMC said it had contacted oil companies that use the pipeline corridor, and would pursue the polluter for clean-up costs.
Oil companies have a licensing agreement to use the corridor, which the PoMC owns.
A boom had been deployed along the river bank to contain potential impacts, with the Environmental Protection Authority expected to carry out an in-depth assessment, the PoMC said.
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