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A coal carrier that ran aground and leaked about 3 tons of oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef was re-floated on Monday after being stuck for more than a week.
The 755-foot (230-metre) Shen Neng 1 was successfully lifted off the coral reef after crews spent three days pumping heavy fuel oil from the stricken vessel to lighten its load.
"Reports from the salvors are good in that the vessel is not taking on any water and is not leaking oil," Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh told state parliament.
Salvage crews later towed the vessel to an anchorage area near Great Keppel Island, 38 nautical miles (44 miles, 70 kilometres) away.
The Shen Neng 1 slammed into¡¡Douglas Shoal, a protected area of the world's largest coral reef, on April 3, and coral shredded part of its hull, causing a leak of about 3 tons of oil.
That oil was dispersed by chemical sprays and was initially believed to have caused little or no damage to the reef.
But Queensland's Transport Minister, Rachel Nolan, told Australian television that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority had identified reef damage caused by the ship.
"They have had people out there looking at the reef this morning and they've identified obviously a great deal of coral damage, they're saying about a kilometre scar on the reef," Nolan said.
"And one of the things about these ships, they've got what they call antifouling paint on their hull which stops barnacles growing on the ship, but it prevents marine life from growing. So, they're going to have to also get out there and get this paint off the reef or it will kill the reef," Nolan added.
Divers were planning to inspect the ship's hull on Tuesday to assess the damage.
The Australian Federal Police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority were investigating alleged breaches of the law in the accident.
The grounding forced a review of shipping regulations in the fragile area.
Bligh vowed on Monday to sharply increase penalties on ships causing oil spills.
Bligh said the maximum penalty for corporations would increase from 1.75 (m) million Australian dollars (1.64 million US dollars) to 10 (m) million Australian dollars, and individuals would face fines of 500-thousand Australian dollars, up from 350-thousand Australian dollars.
The legislation will be introduced to state parliament this week.
The proposed new penalties are the latest sign that authorities are serious about stepping up protection of the fragile reef. |
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