2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill

2010 oil spill August 2014 January 2020 2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill Great barrier oil spill march 2010 (cropped).jpg 250px MV Shen Neng 1 aground, April 2010 Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia -23.1017 151.6491 title,inline region:AU-QLD_type:event 3 April 2010 The grounding of Shen Neng 1 on Douglas Shoal off Great Keppel Island Shenzhen Energy 20 to 30 m3 on 3 km on The 2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill occurred on 3 April 2010, when the Chinese bulk coal carrier, Shen Neng 1 ran aground east of Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia.http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/04/2863762.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20100405012624/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/04/2863762.htm dead 5 April 2010 Ship leaking oil 'way off course' 4 April 2010 ABC News 4 April 2010 The vessel is owned by Shenzhen Energy Transport Co. Ltd.http://www.sec.com.cn/news/detail.aspx?id=41743&TypeID=0304 Official: Great Barrier Reef - Chinese Ship Shen Neng 1 9 April 2010 Shenzhen Energy Transport Co Ltd dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110707022121/http://www.sec.com.cn/news/detail.aspx?id=41743&TypeID=0304 7 July 2011 dmy The ship was more than 10 km outside the shipping lane. It struck the reef late in the afternoon of 3 April, scraping along the reef for a considerable distance and creating the longest known grounding scar on the Great Barrier Reef. Tugs were sent to remove the ship which was feared would break apart in rough seas. Eventually, the vessel was refloated and taken to Hervey Bay. After unloading about a third of its cargo Shen Neng 1 was towed to Singapore. The ship's captain and officer-on-watch were both charged. The maximum fine for shipping companies that cause damage to the reef was increased after the incident. Grounding incident Chinese ship leaking oil near Great Barrier Reef The 230 m ft on bulk carrier was en route to China from Gladstone, Queensland, when it sailed outside the shipping lane and ran aground on Douglas Shoal at around 17:00 on 3 April, 120 km mi from Rockhampton and 70 km mi on east of Great Keppel Island.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7087194.ece Oil threat to Great Barrier Reef after ship runs aground Barrowclough Anne 4 April 2010 Times Online Times Newspapers 4 April 2010 LondonSeptember 2024 medicmedic One of the vessel's fuel tanks was damaged creating a narrow oil slick of heavy fuel oil 2 nmi km mi from Shen Neng 1: though initially estimated at up to 150 t LT 1, on investigation, it was found that only 3 to 4 t LT 1 on was lost.http://www.smh.com.au/environment/coal-carrier-oil-spill-dispersed--qld-govt-20100406-rnh5.html Coal carrier oil spill dispersed – Qld govt AAP Australian Associated Press Trenwith, Courtney 6 April 2010 The Sydney Morning Herald 6 April 2010 8 April 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100408122424/http://www.smh.com.au/environment/coal-carrier-oil-spill-dispersed--qld-govt-20100406-rnh5.html live The slick was broken up using chemical dispersants: the 2 to 3 m ft on swell prevented the use of a boom to contain the oil.http://www.smh.com.au/environment/grounded-ship-3km-oil-spill-on-great-barrier-reef-20100404-rlec.html Grounded ship: 3km oil spill on Great Barrier Reef Calligeros Marissa 4 April 2010 The Sydney Morning Herald 4 April 2010 7 April 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100407085522/http://www.smh.com.au/environment/grounded-ship-3km-oil-spill-on-great-barrier-reef-20100404-rlec.html live Maritime Safety Queensland was considering the possibility that the ship could break up, releasing another 800 t LT on of fuel oil. Two tugboats were sent out to help secure and stabilise Shen Neng 1, and a Queensland Maritime Police launch was placed on standby to rescue the 23 crew members if necessary.http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/06/2864652.htm Reef oil spill a government 'wake-up call' Glennie Charlotte Logan, Chris Withey, Andree 6 April 2010 ABC News 6 April 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100409085316/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/06/2864652.htm 9 April 2010 dead According to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Shen Neng 1 was supposed to be on a route between Douglas Shoal and the Capricorn Islands,http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/06/2865487.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20100409075117/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/06/2865487.htm dead 9 April 2010 Oil spill ship took legal reef route 6 April 2010 ABC News 6 April 2010 but went aground 5.8 nmi km mi on outside the shipping lane.http://www.amsa.gov.au/Marine_Environment_Protection/Shen_Neng_1_Grounding/media/Shen_Neng1_Douglas_Shoal_publics.pdf Grounding of the Ship Shen Neng 1 6 April 2010 Australian Maritime Safety Authority 9 April 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110216080134/http://amsa.gov.au/Marine_Environment_Protection/Shen_Neng_1_Grounding/media/Shen_Neng1_Douglas_Shoal_publics.pdf 16 February 2011 dead dmy-all Damage Shen Neng 1 created the largest grounding scar on the Great Barrier Reef known to date.http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/13/2871824.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20100415034530/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/13/2871824.htm dead 15 April 2010 Oil found on beach near damaged reef 13 April 2010 13 April 2010 ABC News Online Australian Broadcasting Corporation The scar was roughly 3 km mi long and 250 m ft on wide.Two men in court over coal carrier grounding on Great Barrier Reef AAP Australian Associated Press The Australian 15 April 2010 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/two-men-in-court-over-coal-carrier-grounding-on-great-barrier-reef/story-e6frg6oo-1225853950429 15 April 2010October 2026 medicmedic Some damaged areas have become completely devoid of marine life. There are concerns that there could be considerable long-term damage to the reef and it will be 10 to 20 years before the reef returns to the state it was in before the incident. By 13 April 2010, oil tarballs were washing up on the beaches of North West Island, a significant bird rookery and turtle nesting colony. Response A preliminary MSQ investigation determined that the ship was 15 nmi km mi off course. MSQ spokesman Adam Nicholson called it "outrageous" that a ship would be that far off course, especially considering that it ended up in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is subject to very stringent environmental restrictions. He likened the situation to a car veering off a two-mile-wide road.http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/04/australia.chinese.ship/index.html Official: Ship aground near Great Barrier Reef was off course Aarthun Sarah 5 April 2010 CNN The location of the grounding means that the fuel may contaminate the Great Barrier Reef, specifically the area around Great Keppel Island and Shoalwater Bay. Conservationists, including the Australian Greens political party and the Capricorn Conservation Council, have questioned the lack of requirement to have pilots stationed aboard ships transiting the Barrier Reef. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh demanded that Commonwealth authorities "throw the book" at the ship's owner. Bligh said she considered even a minor oil spill "unacceptable", and claimed Shen Neng 1 had broken Australian law by even being in the area.http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-australia-barrier-reef6-2010apr06,0,7443571.story Strong currents pummel ship stranded at Great Barrier Reef Glionna John 5 April 2010 Los Angeles Times 6 April 2010 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd visited the site on 5 April, and said that his government's main task at this point was to "bring to account those who are responsible" for threatening what he called Australia's greatest natural asset. He also promised to review shipping rules in the area, amid reports that many vessels frequently took shortcuts, or "rat runs", around the reef.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/7559272/Ships-using-Great-Barrier-Reef-as-rat-run.html Ships using Great Barrier Reef as 'rat run' 6 April 2010 The Daily Telegraph 6 April 2010 London 21 September 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130921151219/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/7559272/Ships-using-Great-Barrier-Reef-as-rat-run.html live However, only parts of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park are closed to commercial shipping, and while Douglas Shoal itself is not zoned for use by shipping, the passage between Douglas Shoal and the Capricorn Islands is in a zone that is free for use by shipping.http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/10676/mpz_17.pdf GBRMPA Zoning Map for Gladstone Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 9 April 2010 http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090710172814/http%3A//www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/10676/mpz_17.pdf 10 July 2009 dead dmy-all Additionally, data from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority shows that the route between Douglas Shoal and the Capricorn Islands is known by AMSA to be used by the vast majority of vessels travelling between the North and Gladstone via the Coral Sea. The spill killed over 400 species of animals and over 500 species of plants. Rudd said the company could be fined up to 5.5 million, while Bligh said the owner could be fined up to A$1 million. The master of the vessel is facing a fine of up to A$55,000 while the chief officer-on-watch is facing a fine of up to A$220,000 Anna Bligh raised the maximum penalty to A$10 million for shipping companies that cause damage to the reef by groundings.https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nation/reef-crashes-trigger-hike-in-shipping-fines/news-story/27616cc32873a4b485429d2ee6f1dfed Reef crashes trigger hike in shipping fines Andrew Fraser 1 July 2011 21 May 2011 The Australian News Limited 4 April 2011 subscription https://web.archive.org/web/20110404084130/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/reef-crashes-trigger-hike-in-shipping-fines/story-e6frg6nf-1225869370614 live On 14 April 2010, Australian Federal Police officers executed a search warrant on the vessel and arrested the ship's master and chief officer-on-watch. They faced the Gladstone Magistrates Court on 15 April 2010.Two Shen Neng 1 crew charged by AFP AAP Australian Associated Press The Australian 14 April 2010 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/two-shen-neng-1-crew-charged-by-afp/story-e6frg6nf-1225853759902 15 April 2010October 2026 medicmedic The ship's master was charged with liability for a vessel which caused damage to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and granted bail and allowed to leave Australia. The chief officer-on-watch was charged with the offence of being the person in charge of a vessel that caused damage to the park.Fatigue a factor in Sheng Neng 1 incident AAP Australian Associated Press The Australian 15 April 2010 subscription https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/fatigue-a-factor-in-sheng-neng-1-incident--australian-transport-safety-bureau/news-story/0ffe49a768d250e96932543a18d65c73 15 April 2010 He was granted bail on the condition that he reside on the carrier until a more permanent bail arrangement is reached.Shen Neng 1 captain granted bail over grounding Andrew Fraser Joe Kelly The Australian 15 April 2010 https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/shen-neng-1-captain-granted-bail-over-grounding/news-story/7dfbf131786b156ee7847296f5b9186a 15 April 2010 3 May 2014 subscription https://web.archive.org/web/20140503092832/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/shen-neng-1-captain-granted-bail-over-grounding/story-e6frg6n6-1225854061436 live The vessel was refloated on 12 April by SVITZER Salvage with the assistance of AMSA Emergency Towage Vessels and anchored in waters near Great Keppel Island under instruction of Glastone Harbour Master.Great Barrier Reef island oil spill clean-up starts AAP Australian Associated Press Andrew Fraser The Australian 14 April 2010 https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/health-science/great-barrier-reef-island-oil-spill-cleanup-starts/news-story/c7f64e227e77e2deb7730a26d459bd21 15 April 2010 12 March 2020 subscription https://web.archive.org/web/20200312200334/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/great-barrier-reef-island-oil-spill-clean-up-starts/story-e6frg8y6-1225853562627?nk=a503e08a4cb4703857e2bffba30428f2-1584043414 live It was first thought that the ship would be taken to Gladstone to unload its cargo of 65,000 tonnes of coal. However Sheng Neng 1 was taken to the calmer waters of Hervey Bay because it was determined that the damage to the ship posed a risk of it breaking apart while passing through the Port of Gladstone. There was concern amongst conservationists that a leaky ship was brought into a whale sanctuary and Great Sandy Marine Park. The Department of Environment and Resource Management carried out seabed surveys before and after the ship was anchored in the waters off Hervey Bay for 10 days. It found there was no evidence of environmental harm.http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2010/05/31/shen-neng-did-no-harm-hervey-bay/ Shen Neng did no harm at Bay Tracey Joynson 31 May 2010 Fraser Coast Chronicle The Maryborough Hervey Bay Newspaper Company Pty Ltd 30 June 2011 3 October 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111003171422/http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2010/05/31/shen-neng-did-no-harm-hervey-bay/ live Clipper Mistral was berthed alongside the bulk carrier and using its own crane began removing 19,000 tonnes of coal on 12 May 2010.http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/13/2898057.htm https://archive.today/20121231115121/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/13/2898057.htm dead 31 December 2012 Damaged Shen Neng 1 begins offloading coal Kallee Buchanan 13 May 2011 ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 30 June 2011 Over 1,200,000 litres of bunker fuel was removed from Sheng Neng 1 via barge and transported to the Port of Gladstone. The fuel contaminated with sea water was then transported to Transpacific holding tanks and later disposed. National Emergency Response Operations Manager Brett Williams said "this was a large volume of fuel that needed to be transported and disposed of". Transpacific trucks rolled around the clock to enable the fuel to reach its destination without delays. Beach clean-up and removal of oil from the North West Island commenced on 15 April 2010. The ship was connected to a tug for its journey to Singapore on 31 May 2010.http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/call-to-check-on-ships-of-shame/story-e6frgczf-1225873748501 Call to check on 'ships of shame' Andrew Fraser 1 June 2010 The Australian News Limited 30 June 2011 October 2026 medicmedic In 2016, the Australian government settled with the ship's owners for $29 Million Investigation The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released a preliminary report into the grounding of the ship on 15 April 2010. The report has found that the chief officer, who was officer-of-the-watch had neglected to program a proposed course change into the ship's GPS navigation system due to fatigue. The report stated, that the chief officer failed to plot the ship's position on the Nautical chart in appropriate intervals and for that reason was not aware of the proximity of the shoal. The Great Barrier Reef Vessel Traffic Service was not able to warn him due to limited coverage of the area by their systems.Australien Transport Safety Bureau: Marine Occurrence Investigation No. 274 – Grounding of the bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 (Preliminary) https://web.archive.org/web/20101212121852/http://atsb.gov.au/media/1371728/mo2010003_prelim.pdf 12 December 2010 Recommendation In response to the Shen Neng grounding, the vessel tracking system known as REEFVTS was extended to the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef. Previously, the tracking system had run from the Torres Strait to just south of Mackay and did not cover the southern part of the reef.Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Vessel Traffic Service https://www.msq.qld.gov.au/shipping/reefvts 2026-06-30 Maritime Safety Queensland 25 November 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251125032718/https://www.msq.qld.gov.au/shipping/reefvts live Trainor Neil Evaluating the role of VTS in reducing risk: An Australian perspective https://www.amsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/reefvts-article-iala-bulletin-2012-3.pdf 30 June 2026 Australian Maritime Safety Authority 13 February 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260213035022/https://www.amsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/reefvts-article-iala-bulletin-2012-3.pdf live Remediation Remediation efforts began in 2019 after a lengthy court process.Bell Sarah Jane Great Barrier Reef remediation project begins nine years after Shen Neng 1 grounding https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-22/shen-neng-1-grounding-douglas-shoal-remediation-project-begins/10830958?section=environment 22 February 2019 ABC News 22 February 2019 en-AU 18 July 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240718101617/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-22/shen-neng-1-grounding-douglas-shoal-remediation-project-begins/10830958?section=environment live See also Queensland 2009 southeast Queensland oil spill Environmental threats to the Great Barrier Reef Oil spill References Category:Great Barrier Reef Category:Oil spills in Australia Category:Maritime incidents in Australia Great Barrier Reef oil spill Great Barrier Reef oil spill Category:Shipwrecks in the Coral Sea Great Barrier Reef Oil Spill, 2010 Category:Pollution in Australia Category:2010 in the environment