Air search spots oil patches near coal carrier aground on Great Barrier Reef off Australia
By APSaturday, April 3, 2010
Oil seen near ship aground on Great Barrier Reef
BRISBANE, Australia — Small patches of oil were seen Sunday from a coal-carrying ship that ran aground on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Maritime Safety Queensland said in a statement that the Chinese coal carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground on a shoal late Saturday east of the Great Keppel Island tourist resort. It’s off the coast of Queensland state in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park off northeast Australia.
Authorities fear an oil spill would cause environmental damage to the world’s largest coral reef.
Flights over the area Sunday morning identified the oil patches, but the agency added that no major loss of oil from the ship had occurred.
The ship would need salvage assistance to move off the shoal. Its crew of 23 was helping a marine surveyor assess damage to the hull, the agency said.
The vessel was carrying about 72,000 U.S. tons (65,000 metric tons) of coal from the Queensland port of Gladstone to China. It has 1,000 U.S. tons (950 metric tons) of oil on board.
Conservationists have expressed outrage that bulk carriers can travel through the reef without a marine pilot with local expertise.
