Fed: Greens call for crackdown on ship shortcuts through reef

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2010
Fed: Greens call for crackdown on ship shortcuts through reef

CANBERRA, April 6 AAP - There needs to be a crackdown on foreign ships using the Great
Barrier Reef as a shipping shortcut, the Australian Greens say.

Three to four tonnes of heavy fuel oil spilled from the Shen Neng 1 on Saturday after
it hit a shoal inside a restricted zone of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Greens leader Bob Brown said on Tuesday he suspected the vessel wasn't the first to
take such a shortcut, and the federal government should do more to control foreign shipping
in the area.

"There needs to be a complete review about the number and size of these ships moving
through the Great Barrier Reef," he told ABC Radio.

"There needs to be pilots aboard and there should be very strict laws, including monitoring,
of where these ships are."

Senator Brown said each ship should be checked before it left port to ensure it was
seaworthy, able to handle the conditions ahead, and to confirm its course.

"Speculation is growing that a large number of these huge ships, including oil containers,
move illegally through this lane near the Douglas Shoal, and nothing's been done about
it by the authorities," he said.

Senator Brown is trying to find out where the Australia Federal Police are up to in
their inquiries into the incident, and questioned whether such vessels even needed to
navigate through the reef at all.

He flew over the Shen Neng 1 site on Monday and said it was stuck "hard and fast" to
the shoal below.

"You would think they're going to have to remove at least part of the cargo (to refloat
it)," Senator Brown said.

Meanwhile, general manager of Maritime Safety Queensland, Captain Patrick Quirk, said
that while there was no evidence of major oil leakage into the water, he was preparing
for the worst.

"We are working with the Department of Community Safety, the local SES groups and a
regional council in terms of preparing ourselves for the eventuality of oil on the beaches,"

he said.

AAP bsb/dep

KEYWORD: CARRIER BROWN

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