Oil Spill at the Great Barrier Reef
#2
04-05-2010 | 03:10 PM
This is reaaaalllllly bad news 
I hope they can get it cleaned up as quickly as possible to minimize the damage. I haven't heard much of it since yesterday. If you have updates, can you post them here? I have very limited access here at work until i get home.
I hope they can get it cleaned up as quickly as possible to minimize the damage. I haven't heard much of it since yesterday. If you have updates, can you post them here? I have very limited access here at work until i get home.
#3
04-05-2010 | 03:12 PM
I know last I checked that the Australia Maritime group was able to keep the tanker from breaking apart and it was stabilized. The oil that has spilled is said to have come from piping in the ship and not from the main tanks.
#4
04-07-2010 | 04:47 PM
This morning...
Reporting from Sydney, Australia, and Seoul
Over the years, retired Australian fishing captain Mike Prior has seen their numbers grow, the large trawlers and freighters cruising recklessly through federally protected waters without proper guidance.
On Tuesday, authorities were investigating the shipwreck of one such apparent vessel -- a Chinese-flagged bulk coal carrier that slammed into the Great Barrier Reef, skippered by a captain who, the Queensland maritime authority says, may have ignored the fact that he was outside the shipping lanes without a trained marine pilot because he was trying to save transit time.
In the darkness before midnight Saturday, the Shen Neng 1 slammed into Douglas Shoals, several miles from shipping lanes and off limits for cargo vessels.
Biologists on Tuesday assessed ecological damage at the accident site; the Great Barrier Reef stretches 1,200 miles and is considered an endangered habitat.
"We have observed damage . . . from the grounding incident itself, as evidenced by the plume of coral sediment that can be seen around the ship," said Russell Reichelt, chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. "Fortunately, there have been no reports of continuing oil loss, and the quantity spilled to date does not pose a significant threat to marine life."
A 2-mile slick, 100 yards wide, had leaked from the ship. Authorities continued to work to steady the vessel to keep it from breaking apart and spilling 65,000 tons of coal and 300,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil.
The Australian government does not require trained marine pilots to assist ships in avoiding hazards such as the reef, noting that most large ships are banned from the area. Yet officials acknowledge that accidents have damaged the pristine habitat.
Between 1987 and 1995, more than 600 shipping accidents occurred in the area around the reef, including "groundings, collisions, sinkings and minor oil-spill pollution events," according to a study by the marine park authority. Groundings accounted for 45% of shipping accidents. There were 230 reported oil spills.
The harbor master at Gladstone, the Queensland state port where the Shen Neng 1 had been docked before departure, said Tuesday that he doubted the freighter had embarked on any illegal shortcuts through the reef before running aground. Capt. Mike Lutze said the ship was taking a "recognized route" through the reef. About 3,000 ships a year leave Gladstone carrying coal and other commodities to Asia.
"It's a natural deep-water passage through the reef," he said. "You don't have to be a Rhodes scholar to navigate through there. It's well marked on the chart, it's well known that it's there, and there have been no issues with thousands of ships passing through that area."
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, however, flew over the accident site Tuesday and told reporters later that, "from where I see it, it is outrageous that any vessel could find itself [seven miles] off course, it seems, in the Great Barrier Reef."
"We've always said the vessel is up in an area it shouldn't be in the first place," said Patrick Quirk, general manager of Maritime Safety Queensland, a state agency. "How it got to that position will be the subject of a detailed investigation."
A Chinese news service offered details this week of the first moments after the shipwreck, reporting that Chinese officials immediately contacted the vessel's captain, Wang Jichang.
Wang told Ren Gong- ping, the Chinese consul general in Brisbane, the Queensland capital, that the ship had struck the reef and acknowledged that there was oil leaking, the New China News Agency said.
Wang said repairs were underway and that the crew had sufficient food and water to last days. "If the broken parts can be repaired fast, the crew won't have to leave the ship," the agency reported Wang as saying.
Shenzhen Energy Group, the ship's owner and a subsidiary of COSCO Oceania Pty. Ltd. -- China's largest shipping operator -- could face $920,000 in fines.
Capt. Prior, retired after 30 years running trawlers and ferries, said the number of large vessels in the area has increased considerably and that they probably all should have pilots -- but that there are not enough people trained to do the job.
"The technology's there, but I suspect that there's [not enough manpower] to keep up round-the-clock surveillance of the vessels," he said. "And that's going to get worse as the number of vessels increases" even more.
YouTube - Oil Spill on Australia's Great Barrier Reef
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/vid...ajor_Oil_Spill
Reporting from Sydney, Australia, and Seoul
Over the years, retired Australian fishing captain Mike Prior has seen their numbers grow, the large trawlers and freighters cruising recklessly through federally protected waters without proper guidance.
On Tuesday, authorities were investigating the shipwreck of one such apparent vessel -- a Chinese-flagged bulk coal carrier that slammed into the Great Barrier Reef, skippered by a captain who, the Queensland maritime authority says, may have ignored the fact that he was outside the shipping lanes without a trained marine pilot because he was trying to save transit time.
In the darkness before midnight Saturday, the Shen Neng 1 slammed into Douglas Shoals, several miles from shipping lanes and off limits for cargo vessels.
Biologists on Tuesday assessed ecological damage at the accident site; the Great Barrier Reef stretches 1,200 miles and is considered an endangered habitat.
"We have observed damage . . . from the grounding incident itself, as evidenced by the plume of coral sediment that can be seen around the ship," said Russell Reichelt, chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. "Fortunately, there have been no reports of continuing oil loss, and the quantity spilled to date does not pose a significant threat to marine life."
A 2-mile slick, 100 yards wide, had leaked from the ship. Authorities continued to work to steady the vessel to keep it from breaking apart and spilling 65,000 tons of coal and 300,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil.
The Australian government does not require trained marine pilots to assist ships in avoiding hazards such as the reef, noting that most large ships are banned from the area. Yet officials acknowledge that accidents have damaged the pristine habitat.
Between 1987 and 1995, more than 600 shipping accidents occurred in the area around the reef, including "groundings, collisions, sinkings and minor oil-spill pollution events," according to a study by the marine park authority. Groundings accounted for 45% of shipping accidents. There were 230 reported oil spills.
The harbor master at Gladstone, the Queensland state port where the Shen Neng 1 had been docked before departure, said Tuesday that he doubted the freighter had embarked on any illegal shortcuts through the reef before running aground. Capt. Mike Lutze said the ship was taking a "recognized route" through the reef. About 3,000 ships a year leave Gladstone carrying coal and other commodities to Asia.
"It's a natural deep-water passage through the reef," he said. "You don't have to be a Rhodes scholar to navigate through there. It's well marked on the chart, it's well known that it's there, and there have been no issues with thousands of ships passing through that area."
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, however, flew over the accident site Tuesday and told reporters later that, "from where I see it, it is outrageous that any vessel could find itself [seven miles] off course, it seems, in the Great Barrier Reef."
"We've always said the vessel is up in an area it shouldn't be in the first place," said Patrick Quirk, general manager of Maritime Safety Queensland, a state agency. "How it got to that position will be the subject of a detailed investigation."
A Chinese news service offered details this week of the first moments after the shipwreck, reporting that Chinese officials immediately contacted the vessel's captain, Wang Jichang.
Wang told Ren Gong- ping, the Chinese consul general in Brisbane, the Queensland capital, that the ship had struck the reef and acknowledged that there was oil leaking, the New China News Agency said.
Wang said repairs were underway and that the crew had sufficient food and water to last days. "If the broken parts can be repaired fast, the crew won't have to leave the ship," the agency reported Wang as saying.
Shenzhen Energy Group, the ship's owner and a subsidiary of COSCO Oceania Pty. Ltd. -- China's largest shipping operator -- could face $920,000 in fines.
Capt. Prior, retired after 30 years running trawlers and ferries, said the number of large vessels in the area has increased considerably and that they probably all should have pilots -- but that there are not enough people trained to do the job.
"The technology's there, but I suspect that there's [not enough manpower] to keep up round-the-clock surveillance of the vessels," he said. "And that's going to get worse as the number of vessels increases" even more.
YouTube - Oil Spill on Australia's Great Barrier Reef
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/vid...ajor_Oil_Spill
Last edited by azncarbos; 04-07-2010 at 04:53 PM.
#5
04-13-2010 | 03:24 PM
Update:
2-mile scar on Barrier Reef from ship
Could take 20 years for world's largest coral reef to recover
2-mile scar on Barrier Reef after ship grounding - World environment- msnbc.com
By KRISTEN GELINEAU
updated 6:37 a.m. PT, Tues., April 13, 2010
SYDNEY - A Chinese coal carrier that ran aground and leaked oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef cut a 2-mile-long scar into the shoal and may have smeared paint that will prevent marine life from growing back, the reef's chief scientist said Tuesday.
Even if severe toxic contamination is not found at the site, initial assessments by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority indicate it could take 20 years for the world's largest coral reef to recover, said scientist David Wachenfeld.
"There is more damage to this reef than I have ever seen in any previous Great Barrier Reef groundings," Wachenfeld told reporters on Tuesday. The Shen Neng 1 ground into large parts of the shoal, leaving a scar 1.9 miles long and up to 820 feet wide.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here
The 755-foot vessel veered into protected waters and slammed into a shoal on April 3. Coral shredded part of its hull, causing a leak of about 3 tons of fuel oil, which was later dispersed by chemical sprays and is believed to have caused little or no damage to the reef. Small amounts of oil, however, have begun washing up on beaches near where the ship ran aground, according to Maritime Safety Queensland.
Australian authorities are investigating alleged breaches of the law connected with the accident. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has since warned that cargo ships entering restricted waters would face the full force of the law.
The reef was hit particularly badly because the vessel did not stay in one place once it grounded, Wachenfeld said. Instead, tides and currents pushed it along the reef, crushing and smearing potentially toxic paint onto coral and plants, he said.
In some areas, "all marine life has been completely flattened and the structure of the shoal has been pulverized by the weight of the vessel," Wachenfeld said.
Perhaps most concerning to the scientists is the chemical makeup of the paint used on the ship's hull, which divers have found spread across the vast majority of the impacted region.
Many oceangoing vessels are covered in what is known as "anti-fouling" paint, which prevents marine life from growing on their hulls and creating drag. Certain paints contain chemicals that prevent such growth, while others simply act as a barrier.
Scientists with the reef authority plan to analyze paint left by the Shen Neng to see if it contains heavy metals. If it does, Wachenfeld said, it would not only kill the marine life currently on the shoal, but prevent new life from colonizing there.
Long recovery
It will be at least another week before the full extent of the damage is known, but even absent of the worst toxins, he said the area's recovery could take 10 to 20 years.
The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage site because of its gleaming waters and environmental value as home to thousands of marine species. The accident occurred in the southern tip of the reef, which is not the main tourism hub.
The vessel was successfully lifted off the coral reef on Monday after crews spent three days pumping fuel from the ship to lighten it. Salvage crews later towed it to an anchorage area near Great Keppel Island, 40 nautical miles (45 miles) away.
The grounding forced a review of shipping regulations in the fragile area. Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh vowed Monday to sharply increase penalties on ships causing oil spills.
Bligh said the maximum penalty for corporations would increase from 1.75 million Australian dollars ($1.64 million) to AU$10 million, and individuals would face fines of AU$500,000 — up from AU$350,000.
The proposed new penalties are the latest sign that authorities are serious about stepping up protection of the fragile reef.
On Monday, three crewmen from another boat that allegedly entered restricted reef waters on April 4 appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on charges of entering a prohibited zone of the reef 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 Friday. They face maximum fines of 220,000 Australian dollars ($205,000).
2-mile scar on Barrier Reef from ship
Could take 20 years for world's largest coral reef to recover
2-mile scar on Barrier Reef after ship grounding - World environment- msnbc.com
By KRISTEN GELINEAU
updated 6:37 a.m. PT, Tues., April 13, 2010
SYDNEY - A Chinese coal carrier that ran aground and leaked oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef cut a 2-mile-long scar into the shoal and may have smeared paint that will prevent marine life from growing back, the reef's chief scientist said Tuesday.
Even if severe toxic contamination is not found at the site, initial assessments by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority indicate it could take 20 years for the world's largest coral reef to recover, said scientist David Wachenfeld.
"There is more damage to this reef than I have ever seen in any previous Great Barrier Reef groundings," Wachenfeld told reporters on Tuesday. The Shen Neng 1 ground into large parts of the shoal, leaving a scar 1.9 miles long and up to 820 feet wide.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here
The 755-foot vessel veered into protected waters and slammed into a shoal on April 3. Coral shredded part of its hull, causing a leak of about 3 tons of fuel oil, which was later dispersed by chemical sprays and is believed to have caused little or no damage to the reef. Small amounts of oil, however, have begun washing up on beaches near where the ship ran aground, according to Maritime Safety Queensland.
Australian authorities are investigating alleged breaches of the law connected with the accident. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has since warned that cargo ships entering restricted waters would face the full force of the law.
The reef was hit particularly badly because the vessel did not stay in one place once it grounded, Wachenfeld said. Instead, tides and currents pushed it along the reef, crushing and smearing potentially toxic paint onto coral and plants, he said.
In some areas, "all marine life has been completely flattened and the structure of the shoal has been pulverized by the weight of the vessel," Wachenfeld said.
Perhaps most concerning to the scientists is the chemical makeup of the paint used on the ship's hull, which divers have found spread across the vast majority of the impacted region.
Many oceangoing vessels are covered in what is known as "anti-fouling" paint, which prevents marine life from growing on their hulls and creating drag. Certain paints contain chemicals that prevent such growth, while others simply act as a barrier.
Scientists with the reef authority plan to analyze paint left by the Shen Neng to see if it contains heavy metals. If it does, Wachenfeld said, it would not only kill the marine life currently on the shoal, but prevent new life from colonizing there.
Long recovery
It will be at least another week before the full extent of the damage is known, but even absent of the worst toxins, he said the area's recovery could take 10 to 20 years.
The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage site because of its gleaming waters and environmental value as home to thousands of marine species. The accident occurred in the southern tip of the reef, which is not the main tourism hub.
The vessel was successfully lifted off the coral reef on Monday after crews spent three days pumping fuel from the ship to lighten it. Salvage crews later towed it to an anchorage area near Great Keppel Island, 40 nautical miles (45 miles) away.
The grounding forced a review of shipping regulations in the fragile area. Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh vowed Monday to sharply increase penalties on ships causing oil spills.
Bligh said the maximum penalty for corporations would increase from 1.75 million Australian dollars ($1.64 million) to AU$10 million, and individuals would face fines of AU$500,000 — up from AU$350,000.
The proposed new penalties are the latest sign that authorities are serious about stepping up protection of the fragile reef.
On Monday, three crewmen from another boat that allegedly entered restricted reef waters on April 4 appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on charges of entering a prohibited zone of the reef 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 Friday. They face maximum fines of 220,000 Australian dollars ($205,000).
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