Chinese Cargo Ship Threatens to Create Oil Spill On Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

This is some really bad news coming out of Australia:

A BULK coal carrier leaking oil in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is grinding against the shoal it’s stuck on, causing more damage.

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) says salvage experts have boarded the Chinese-registered Shen Neng 1 and will focus on stabilising the vessel amid fears it could break up.

The ship’s owners, the Cosco Group — China’s largest shipping company — could be fined more than $1 million and its captain $220,000, Ms Bligh said.

MSQ says a tug boat is at the site of the grounding, 70km east of Great Keppel Island, trying to stabilise the ship.

A second tug is due to arrive this afternoon.

“One of the most worrying aspects is that the ship is still moving on the reef to the action of the seas, which is doing further damage,” MSQ general manager Patrick Quirk said today.

“A second tug is due to arrive in the early afternoon to assist the specialised tug already there to stabilise the vessel”.

The MSQ sent up aircraft this morning to monitor oil leaking from the ship, which is carrying 975 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 65,000 tonnes of coal.  [AAP]

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef and the location of the world’s great diversity of sea life.  The spilling of oil and coal into the reef would be a staggering environmental disaster.