Chinese Coal Ship Remains a Threat to the Great Barrier Reef

NOAA

Australian authorities are racing to prevent a Chinese bulk coal carrier from breaking apart and causing an environmental disaster to the Great Barrier Reef, one of the wonders of the natural world and a designated World Heritage Site.  Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said the Chinese-registered Shen Neng 1 was off course and travelling at full speed, without a marine pilot in a restricted part of the park when it hit a shoal shortly after 5pm on Saturday.  The ship is stuck on the reef about 70 kilometres east of Great Keppel Island and teams are working to limit damage from a ribbon of oil that has spilled from the ship.  It is carrying 975 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 65,000 tonnes of coal.  The ship’s owner, Shenzhen Energy is a subsidiary of the Chinese shipping giant Cosco, which has allegedly been involved in three major international incidents in four years.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system, made up of more than 2,900 coral reefs and 900 islands scattered over 344,400sq km off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. Covering an area bigger than the United Kingdom, it is also a priceless and unimaginably fragile world heritage site, home to 30 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises; six species of sea turtles; 125 species of shark, stingray and skate; 5,000 species of mollusc; nine species of seahorse; 215 species of birds; 17 species of sea snake; 2,195 known plant species and more than 1,500 species of fish.

Authorities have have warned that the salvage operation could take weeks, as moving the vessel will be “a very delicate” operation that risks sending hundreds of tonnes of oil on to the reef. Salvage teams are now being flown in to begin pumping the 950 tonnes of oil fuel off the vessel and on to another ship before an attempt can be made to move her.  Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, flew over the stricken vessel today, which had strayed at least 12 kilometers outside the authorized shipping channel, and promised afterwards a full investigation to identify and punish those responsible. He noted that the captain could be subject to up to three years in prison if found negligent and that the vessel’s owners could be liable for a fine exceeding $5 million.

In stark contrast to the outrage the rest of the world is feeling, the following is an excerpt from Xinhua News (the official press agency of the government of the People’s Republic of China) website reporting on the same incident:

BRISBANE, Australia, April 4 (Xinhua) — All the crew members are safe after a Chinese coal ship ran aground off the eastern coast of Australia on Saturday, said Chinese Consul-general in Brisbane Ren Gongping on Sunday.

Ren told Xinhua that the 230-meter-long bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground about 70 km east of Great Keppel Island in Queensland State shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday.  The vessel, carrying 950 tons of heavy fuel oil and 65,000 tons of coal, is bound for China.

Ren said he had phoned the captain of the carrier, Wang Jichang, who told Ren that drinking water and food are enough for the 23 crew members. The incident caused no injuries to the crew.  The consul-general said the captain told him the incident is not serious and repair is underway.  Ren added that he was very much concerned about the safety of the Chinese crew and he had contacted the local police immediately after learning the incident. The police had assured Ren that they would try their best to safeguard the crew in case of an emergency.

Three police ships have reached the area and are ready to take the crew to safe place from the coal carrier.”

I am speechless.  Xinhua News  makes no mention of the Great Barrier Reef or the possibility of an environmental disaster ensuing from the actions of the captain and crew.   This is a frightenning glimpse into the sterilized news that the Chinese people receive.  The Chinese people have no idea at what price their thirst for resources to fuel their economic expansion wreaks on the world.   Australians will need to pressure their government to take action to prevent the Great Barrier Reef from becoming a shortcut to China for their country’s ever expanding coal and gas exports. If China can jail an Australian Rio Tinto executive for 12 years for alleged bribery and commercial espionage, surely the Australians can sentence a Chinese ship captain to prison for endangering the very life of a “World Heritage Site”!

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Posted by admin on Apr 6 2010. Filed under Ocean Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.