Energy
Chinese-registered coal carrier runs aground off Australian coast
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-04-05 09:59
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CANBERRA - A Chinese-registered bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground on a reef Saturday night, about 70 kilometers east of Great Keppel Island off the Queensland coast, Australian Associated Press reported Sunday.
Aircraft are flying over the 230-meter-long bulk carrier aground in the Great Barrier Reef to determine the extent of an oil spill from the vessel.
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The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has airlifted a surveyor onto the vessel to carry out a damage assessment. Maritime Safety Queensland says it has approached the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority seeking permission to use aerial dispersants on the oil leak, and a dispersant-spraying aircraft is on standby in Rockhampton.
The incident immediately sparks fears of environmental damage of the Great Barrier Reef from the oil spill.
