Patrick Quirk, the general manager for maritime safety for Queensland, the Australian state where the vessel ran aground, said in a statement Tuesday morning that only a little of the fuel had leaked so far. The main concern about the vessel has been not the coal but its 1,075 tons of thick engine fuel. Weather forecasts for the next 10 days were for mostly clear skies. Australian authorities said that the vessel would be difficult to refloat and was vulnerable to any storms. Two tug boats have worked to stabilize the stricken ship. But Xinhua has focused on possible legal penalties for the incident while avoiding mention of stronger criticisms leveled by Australian politicians and environmentalists.Īustralian news organizations and environmentalists have accused the ship's crew of taking a shortcut between reefs after taking on 72,000 tons of coal in Gladstone, instead of staying farther out to sea. Description: This map shows cities, towns, freeways, through routes, major connecting roads, minor connecting roads. The official Xinhua News Agency has reported the grounding of the vessel and that it is Chinese. 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.
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Rudd flew over the stricken vessel, which had strayed at least 7 1/2 miles outside the authorized shipping channel, and promised a full investigation to identify and punish those responsible. Select from premium Great Barrier Reef Queensland Australia of the highest quality. Queensland Government/AFP/Getty ImagesĪnger rose in Australia on Tuesday, including some blunt language from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, over the off-course Chinese coal freighter that beached on the Great Barrier Reef last weekend and threatens to befoul its pristine corals with leaking fuel oil. Find Great Barrier Reef Queensland Australia stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Australian authorities were attempting on Apto stabilise the stranded Chinese coal carrier which is threatening to break up on the Great Barrier Reef and spill more oil into the pristine waters. Facebook Twitter Email This handout photo released on Apand taken on April 4 by the Queensland Government shows a small amount of oil leaking from the Chinese coal carrier the Shen Neng 1 after the vessel ran aground near Australia's Great Barrier Reef off the coastof the state of Queensland late on April 3.