Australia alert over oil leak on Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system

A Chinese ship has run aground off north-eastern Australia, sparking an alert of an oil leak into the Great Barrier Reef.

The Shen Neng I, carrying 950 tonnes of oil, ran aground 70km (43 miles) off the east coast of Great Keppel Island.
Patches have been seen but there has so far been no major loss of oil. A light aircraft is being despatched to spray chemical dispersant.

Conservationists say they fear for a major accident in the future.
The Shen Neng I was carrying about 65,000 tonnes of coal to China from the Australian port of Gladstone.
"Early morning flights over the carrier show a small number of oil patches about two nautical miles south-east from the ship," said Queensland's state government in a statement.
"To date there has been no major loss of oil from the ship."
Capricorn Conservation Council spokesman Ian Herbert told the Australian Associated Press he feared the latest incident was "a sign of things to come".
"We are outraged that no marine pilot is required on ships between Gladstone and Cairns," he said.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system and extends for more than 2,500km.

BBC News

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