GBR in risk of fuel oil spill

Just saw some sad news today... A large Chinese ship ran aground the Great Barrier Reef and is already leaking oil. This may turn into a bad environmental disaster if the spill is not contained.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/0...dex.html?hpt=T2

Just saw some sad news today... A large Chinese ship ran aground the Great Barrier Reef and is already leaking oil. This may turn into a bad environmental disaster if the spill is not contained.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/0...dex.html?hpt=T2

Interesting article, particularly about the need for pilots and how open the lane was. Hopefully it will be contained.....

There's a photo in the local paper today showing the route the ship shouldve taken, and the illegal shortcut they took through a restricted zone which ended with them up on the reef. Another shot shows the ship on the reef with fuel leaking from it. I'm not saying it was intentional they they wen off course, but it looks like a good reason why they should have local pilots on board in these areas.

I was told this was going to happen when I was in Townsville chatting to a local pilot back in 2007.

So now it has happened....pretty sad, but I hope it wakes the wollies up and forces change.

It gets worse due to anti fouling paint.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/13/ships...at-barrier-reef