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Chinese Freighter Re-Floated Off Great Barrier Reef

   Phil Mercer | Sydney 13 April 2010
   In  this  handout  photo  provided  by  the Australian Maritime Safety
   Authority,  the  Chinese  carrier  Shen  Neng 1 is hard aground on the
   Great  Barrier  Reef  near  Great  Keppel  Island  tourist  resort  in
   Australia as a tethered tugboat tries to stabilize it, 6 Apr 2

Photo: AP

   In  this  handout  photo  provided  by  the Australian Maritime Safety
   Authority,  the  Chinese  carrier  Shen  Neng 1 is hard aground on the
   Great  Barrier  Reef  near  Great  Keppel  Island  tourist  resort  in
   Australia as a tethered tugboat tries to stabilize it, 6 Apr 2010

   Australian  officials  say the damage to the Great Barrier Reef caused
   by  a  Chinese freighter that ran aground is worse than first thought.
   The  vessel  has  been  re-floated  and now is safely anchored off the
   Queensland coast.
   The  Great  Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says damage to the reef
   is so severe it could take marine life 20 years to recover.
   After  it  ran  aground,  the Shen Neng 1 was dragged over the reef by
   ocean  currents,  crushing  coral  and  plants, and smearing them with
   potentially toxic paint.
   The  Chinese coal carrier struck a sandbank off Queensland more than a
   week  ago.  After  the  boat  leaked  about three tons of oil into the
   pristine  waters, salvage workers managed to unload 950 tons that were
   in  the  fuel  tanks. Then the boat was re-floated and taken to a safe
   anchorage.
   The  government  is  preparing  tough new measures to regulate foreign
   ships using Australian waters and ports.
   "We  are  quite prepared to take whatever measures are required," said
   Transport   Minister  Anthony  Albanese.  "The  cost  will  not  be  a
   consideration  at  all  because  the  cost  of damage to our reef [is]
   incalculable not just in economic terms but on environmental terms for
   future generations." .
   On  Monday,  three  crewmen from another foreign vessel that allegedly
   entered  restricted  waters  in the Great Barrier Reef appeared before
   magistrates in Queensland. They are charged with entering a prohibited
   zone without permission.
   The   South   Korean   master  and  two  Vietnamese  officers  of  the
   Panama-flagged  coal  boat  MV Mimosa were granted bail and ordered to
   reappear in court later this week. They face fines of up to $205,000.
   The  Great  Barrier  Reef  is  the  world's  largest  coral system. It
   stretches  for  2,300 kilometers along Australia's northeast coast and
   is  home  to a vast array of wildlife. It is prime tourism destination
   that  draws  tens  of  thousands  of  people a year. However, it faces
   damage  not just from shipping, but also from fresh water run-off from
   Australian coastal farm land and rising sea temperatures.

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