Chinese coal ship freed from Australia's Barrier Reef (Roundup)

Apr 12, 2010, 11:59 GMT

Sydney - The coal carrier that ran aground on Australia's Great Barrier Reef nine days ago was refloated on Monday's high tide.

Impending storms forced the hand of the salvage crew, which had planned to try and get the Shen Neng 1 off the reef only after draining it of all the 950 tons of fuel oil aboard.

The operation went ahead with only half the fuel transferred to a barge brought alongside at the weekend.

Pumping the ballast tanks dry proved enough to lighten the ship and allow its reflotation.

Marine Safety Queensland general manager Patrick Quirk said authorities gave salvors the green light because of fears that 3-metre swells Tuesday would make a later attempt more perilous.

The Shen Neng 1 ploughed into the reef at full speed April 3 carrying 65,000 tons of coal loaded just hours earlier at the port of Gladstone, on the eastern Australian coast.

Initial fears that the Chinese-owned vessel would break up and despoil the reef have subsided. Less than 4 tons of oil have escaped and salvors are confident the ship is sound enough to be towed either to China or back to Gladstone.

In response to allegations the Shen Neng 1 was taking an illegal shortcut through the reef, Shenzhen Energy Transport had declared its vessel was 'entirely within legal waters' and on a course through a passage 'regularly used by many large ships.'

Shenzhen Energy Transport admitted human error may have been behind the grounding, saying the crew 'did not alter course to the east to go through the passage as planned, and as a consequence the vessel ran aground on Douglas Shoal.'

The captain and crew are still aboard the vessel and have been interviewed by police after a request from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Charges are expected to be laid.

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said coal carriers had been taking short cuts through the reef. 'It's time to get tough - we are quite prepared to take whatever measures are required,' he said.

The day after the Shen Neng 1 got stuck, a Panamanian-registered coal carrier, the MV Mimosa, was detected taking an unauthorized route through the reef.

A South Korean and two Vietnamese have been charged with entering a prohibited zone without permission and are expected to appear in court in Townsville on Monday.

Police are also to allege that the MV Mimosa was not registered with the Reef Vessel Tracking System and failed to provide a pre-entry report.

Albanese said the government was considering extending extra safeguards to protect the world's largest reef system.

'The cost will not be a consideration at all because the cost of damage to our reef is incalculable, not just in economic terms but in environmental terms for future generations,' he said.

Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh said penalties for ships causing oil spills would be increased fivefold to 10 million Australian dollars (9 million US dollars) and those for individuals increased from 350,000 Australian dollars to 500,000 Australian dollars.

'This increase in penalties will send a message to the thousands of ship crews who pass through Queensland waters that nothing but the greatest attention to safety and care will be tolerated,' she said. 'Ten million dollars is a lot of money for any company to have to hand over in the event of a marine mishap.'