Maritime authorities in Australia are gearing up to move tonnes of fuel oil that has been sitting in a stranded Chinese ship in the Great Barrier Reef. The Shen Neng 1, which has already leaked some oil from a damaged hull, now has a floating boom around it in preparation for the unload.
According to maritime authorities, the ship is currently stable, and chemicals had been released into the water to dissolve the spilled oil. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, has called the grounding ‘outrageous’ and says he will look into tightening shipping rules around the protected reef.
The grounded ship was transporting 950 tonnes of oil when it got stranded 70kms off the coast of Great Keppel Island. The 4 April grounding has been the spark of debates as to whether or not shipping regulations in the area are strict enough.
The Shen Neng 1 was headed to China from Queensland’s port of Gladstone, and also had 65,000 tonnes of coal on board. The initial oil spill was dispersed with chemicals and booms sent to surround the ship and protect against further leaks. Two tug boats are currently being used to hold the ship in place. Some of the oil was already taken from the ship where it had been damaged by the coral it ran aground on.
Patrick Quirck at Maritime Safety Queensland, said that the process would be delicate and authorities would have to work slowly to prevent further damage to the reef. Australian authorities are outraged by the incident and investigations have been launched to discover the cause of the accident.
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