Chinese coal ship runs aground
Source: Agencies |
April 5, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A CHINESE coal-carrying ship that ran aground and was leaking oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef was in danger of breaking apart, officials said yesterday.
Ren Gongping, the Chinese Consul-General in Brisbane, capital of Queensland state, said yesterday all 23 crew members escaped injury.
Three police ships have reached the area and are ready to take the crew to safe place from the coal carrier.
Shen Neng I ran aground late on Saturday on Douglas Shoals, a favorite haunt for recreational fishing east of the Great Keppel Island tourist resort.
The shoals are in a protected area where shipping is restricted in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world's largest coral reef off northeast Australia, listed as a World Heritage site for its environmental value.
The ship hit the reef at 15 kilometers per hour outside the shipping lane, State Premier Anna Bligh said.
A police boat was standing by to remove crew if the ship broke apart and an evacuation was necessary, she said.
Patches of oil were seen near the stricken ship early yesterday, but Maritime Safety Queensland reported no major loss from the 1,000 tons of oil on board.
MSQ General Manager Patrick Quirk said the vessel was badly damaged on its port side. "At one stage last night, we thought the ship was close to breaking up," he said yesterday. "We are still very concerned about the ship."
A salvage contract had been signed but the operation would be difficult and assessing the damage to the ship could take a week, Quirk said.
Aircraft yesterday began spraying chemicals on the oil patch to disperse it.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said authorities had been working through the night to determine what risks the ship posed to the environment.
The 230-meter bulk carrier was carrying about 65,000 tons of coal to China and ran aground within hours of leaving the Queensland port of Gladstone.
"The state government is being blinded by royalties and their shortsightedness will go down in history as killing the reef," said Larissa Waters, spokeswoman for the Queensland Greens environmentally focused political party.
Bligh said the question of when ships should require a marine pilot on the reef was under review because of the increase in freight traffic that would flow from new gas and coal export contracts signed with China.
She said a separate inquiry would determine how the ship came to stray from its shipping lane.
Ren Gongping, the Chinese Consul-General in Brisbane, capital of Queensland state, said yesterday all 23 crew members escaped injury.
Three police ships have reached the area and are ready to take the crew to safe place from the coal carrier.
Shen Neng I ran aground late on Saturday on Douglas Shoals, a favorite haunt for recreational fishing east of the Great Keppel Island tourist resort.
The shoals are in a protected area where shipping is restricted in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world's largest coral reef off northeast Australia, listed as a World Heritage site for its environmental value.
The ship hit the reef at 15 kilometers per hour outside the shipping lane, State Premier Anna Bligh said.
A police boat was standing by to remove crew if the ship broke apart and an evacuation was necessary, she said.
Patches of oil were seen near the stricken ship early yesterday, but Maritime Safety Queensland reported no major loss from the 1,000 tons of oil on board.
MSQ General Manager Patrick Quirk said the vessel was badly damaged on its port side. "At one stage last night, we thought the ship was close to breaking up," he said yesterday. "We are still very concerned about the ship."
A salvage contract had been signed but the operation would be difficult and assessing the damage to the ship could take a week, Quirk said.
Aircraft yesterday began spraying chemicals on the oil patch to disperse it.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said authorities had been working through the night to determine what risks the ship posed to the environment.
The 230-meter bulk carrier was carrying about 65,000 tons of coal to China and ran aground within hours of leaving the Queensland port of Gladstone.
"The state government is being blinded by royalties and their shortsightedness will go down in history as killing the reef," said Larissa Waters, spokeswoman for the Queensland Greens environmentally focused political party.
Bligh said the question of when ships should require a marine pilot on the reef was under review because of the increase in freight traffic that would flow from new gas and coal export contracts signed with China.
She said a separate inquiry would determine how the ship came to stray from its shipping lane.
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