Oil spillages threaten the Great Barrier Reef.
Efforts are continuing today to try to contain the huge oil leak spilling out of the Chinese coal ship which ran aground on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef on Saturday.
The Shen Neng 1 was carrying 65,000 tonnes of coal to China from the port of Gladstone in South Australia when it ran into difficulties. It is currently aground around 70km off the popular tourist resort of Great Keppel Island with a huge hole in its hull that is leaking oil into the fragile ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef. It is estimated that the leak is spreading up to 4km out from the stricken vessel.
Meanwhile Australian authorities are doing their best to play down the disasterous consequences of the leakage, with Captain Patrick Quirk from the Maritime Safety Queensland saying; “The continued leakage of oil is probably the best case we could expect.”
However Australia have also been quick to respond to the leakage in one of their most precious and unique conservation areas. Emergency crews are on standby on the mainland beaches ready to deal with any oil that reaches the coast and chemical oil dispersant has been sprayed onto patches of oil by aircraft, however despite their best efforts any damage done to the reef will not be known for some weeks yet as salvage teams need to clear the area before assessing the scale of the damage caused.
It was also revealed that the Chinese vessel was out of the shipping area and in a restricted zone, there will now be an investigation into why the ship veered into the protected area.
Queensland is still recovering after the major oil spill in March 2009 when 230 tonnes of oil leaked into the ocean after the MV Pacific Adventurer was hit by Cyclone Hamish. It was declared then as a disaster zone by Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.
As stronger links are forged with China in exporting large quantities of oil and coal, environmental groups will be anxious that such spillages could become a common occurrence and will be calling for better protection for the fragility of one of the natural wonders of the world.
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