2min cheat sheet: Great Barrier Reef Disaster

You probably heard about the shipping disaster in the Barrier Reef last week.  Here is a 2 minute cheat sheet from  Julie Cowdroy – all we need to know, condensed and concise.

A very large coal ship left Gladstone Port in Queensland and headed to China. A trip that many coal carriers undertake regularly due to Australia’s large coal export industry. In fact, Queensland prides itself on being the largest exporter of seaborne coal in the world. On it’s way to China, Shen Neng 1, ran aground on Douglas Shoals, one of 2900 reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef. The 225m long vessel was carrying an estimated 65,000 tonnes of coal and 970 tonnes of fuel. The moment that ship hit that sandbank, all sorts of questions were raised.

How could a ship run into the reef? Surely, the regular act of a ship loaded up with coal that heads to China or Japan or wherever ought not to just bump into the largest living organism on the planet. What measures and monitoring systems are in place to stop such a catastrophe from occurring? Who are steering these ships anyway? And what about Nemo???

This incident is a classic example of competing economic and environmental issues that our capitalist society constantly faces. Environmentally, the main danger is fuel from the ship leaking onto the reef. Salvage teams commenced transferring 970 tonnes of oil from Shen Neng 1 onto a barge on Friday. The oil slick from the crash is 3 km long and 100m wide, so chemical dispersants – not great for the reef – are used to break up the oil in the water. If it had been an oil carrier, it would have been much worse. Still, Douglas Shoals is recovering from Cyclone Hamish in 2009, and the area is highly sensitive. Wildlife teams are on standby during the clean-up operation. The next challenge is getting the ship off the reef without the vessel breaking up. Good weather is essential. The weather is set to change on Tuesday, so time is of the essence. A full assessment of the damage to the region will only be known once the vessel is removed.

So, how did this vessel end up on the reef? It is highly likely that the crew on Shen Neng 1 were under pressure from Shenzhen Energy Group to operate as cheaply as possible, and save on fuel costs. The captain therefore, chose to alter the route, and then hit the reef. Local fishermen report that they often see coal carriers using short cuts. Further to this, it is reported that a pilot disembarked Shen Neng 1 five hours before the accident last week, despite advice from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) who in 2004, recommended that all large vessels have a pilot on board when navigating the Great Barrier Reef. Investigations have been launched by the Australian Federal Police, Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, and we should expect answers within the next month or so.

We have heard Kevin Rudd, Anna Bligh, Bob Brown and pretty much everyone else express outrage at this event, so where does the responsibility lie? This is a lesson on the complexities of globalization at it’s best. The list of actors involved is extensive, and considering the nature of each individual stakeholder is enough to understand this is a complicated issue.

• Shenzhen Energy Group – owner of Shen Neng 1. One of China’s main power generation companies. Pretty much state-owned. Admitted they didn’t stick to the route
• International Maritime Organisation (IMO) – is the international regulator for shipping. It recommended in 2004, that all ships over 70m has a pilot on board when navigating the Great Barrier Reef
• Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) – coordinating the emergency response along with Australian Maritime Safety and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
• Australian Maritime Safety Authority (ASMA) – picks the channels the ships must follow. Have launched an investigation
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) – responsible for the management of the Great Barrier Reef. Involved in emergency response operation. Requested the AFP launch an investigation
• Gladstone Port Corporation – the Australian port where Shen Neng 1 loaded its coal. The port has an economic imperative to ensure maximum amount of traffic is using it’s ports
• Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) – investigates incidents so as to improve maritime safety (it is not a regulator or policy maker). The ATSB have started their investigations
• Environment Protection Minister Peter Garrett – announced the formation of a Scientific Panel to assess any environmental damage caused by the Shen Neng 1
• Transport Minister Anthony Albanese – said the Federal Government is ready to toughen up on all foreign vessels using Australian waters to protect the reef
• Senator Bob Brown – says carriers are making a “coal highway” out of the reef and says authorities are turning a blind eye to this problem. He wants a “radical overview” of the way coal carriers operate within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
• Australian Federal Police – have launched an investigation

 

Leo Zussino is the chairman of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and also the chief executive of the Gladstone

Port Corporation. His role at the Maritime Safety Authority is to make the waterways as safe as possible and his role at the Gladstone Port is to ensure maximum traffic flows. Some say this is a conflict of interest. Others, however, believe it takes someone who understands both the importance of our ports, which are the epicenter of our coal export industry (a largely foreign owned $60billion per year industry, one might add), as well as ensuring maritime safety. This debate is just one example amongst many contentious issues found within this situation.

So there you have it. Very large ship. Very fragile reef. Very profitable coal industry. The Australian reported that Gladstone Port is looking to increase the number of coal carriers from 1500 to 2500 by 2017. Presently, 22 ships are queuing outside Gladstone Port waiting to load up with coal. 9700 vessels pass through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park each year. If you ask me, unless something changes, the odds are against the reef.

UPDATE:
New reports have emerged from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMA) that there is widespread damage to the reef. The ship has been successfully refloated (that is, off the shoals, and towed out to safe anchorage). However, once it was removed, it was discovered that not only did it run aground the shoals, it kept going for over a kilometre, ruining the reef in it’s wake. Preliminary findings show evidence of instant mortality to some of the coral the Shen Neng 1 ran over. The GBRMA report that it will potentially be the biggest clean-up operation to occur on the reef. More here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/13/2871261.htm