Great Barrier Reef: Coal carrier oil spill dispersed

Oil that leaked from a stricken coal carrier off Rockhampton has been dispersed, the Queensland government says.

Three to four tonnes of heavy fuel oil spilled from the Shen Neng 1 on Saturday after it hit a shoal inside a restricted zone of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Transport department spokesman Mark Strong says dispersant sprayed onto the slick has worked, and the oil has broken up.

“The slick that was there has responded to the treatment and there have been no further additional spills,” Mr Strong said on Tuesday.

Authorities plan to have a floating boom around the Shen Neng 1 sometime on Tuesday to contain any further leaks.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will on Tuesday fly over the stricken ship, which is stuck on Douglas Shoal 70km east of Great Keppel Island.

Tug boats are being used to stabilise the ship which is continuing to grind against the shoal.

Authorities no longer believe it’s at serious risk of breaking up but say that could change if the weather worsens.

The 230-metre Shen Neng 1 was en route from Gladstone to China when it ran aground, almost 30km from the shipping channels it should have been using.

Federal authorities have launched an investigation, including into reports the ship may have been taking a shortcut out of Australian waters.

Salvors are aboard the ship, planning how to refloat it, but say the process could take weeks.

Meanwhile, the federal opposition has backed calls to expand monitoring requirements for ships travelling in restricted areas, after the Shen Neng 1 became stranded on the Great Barrier Reef.

The environmental disaster has sparked calls for all large cargo ships travelling near the reef to carry a pilot.

Australia’s maritime authority says a remote monitoring system that detects when ships stray off course may also need to be expanded.

Opposition transport spokesman Warren Truss agrees.

He says small fishing vessels are monitored, in an area set by the commonwealth, to ensure they don’t fish illegally.

“If small fishing vessels have to carry these kind of systems, it seems logical that large bulk carriers should do so as well,” he told ABC radio.

The tracking system is in place 120 km north of where the carrier ran aground.

The federal government says it will look at tightening the rules for shipping following the incident.