BRISBANE, Australia — A salvage team could take weeks to remove a grounded coal-carrying ship from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef where it is leaking oil in a pristine marine environment, a state leader said today.
The Chinese Shen Neng 1 ran aground Saturday on Douglas Shoals, a favorite pristine haunt for recreational fishing east of the Great Keppel Island tourist resort. The shoals — off the coast of Queensland state in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park — are in a protected part of the reef where shipping is restricted.
Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world’s largest coral reef, which is off northeast Australia and listed as a World Heritage site.
The ship hit the reef at full speed, 9 miles outside the shipping lane. State Premier Anna Bligh said a salvage team had reached the 755-foot ship today and were attempting to stabilize it.
She said the ship’s owner could be fined up to 1 million Australian dollars for straying from a shipping lane used by 6,000 cargo ships each year.
