Australia rules out barring ships from Barrier Reef
Copyright 2001 Reuters
September 6, 2001
CANBERRA - An Australian maritime report ruled out yesterday stopping ships using transport routes inside the Great Barrier Reef off the country's northeast coast.
Environmental and safety concerns were sparked last November when a 21,000-tonne Malaysian freighter, Bunga Teratai Satu, loaded with hazardous cargo and fuel ran aground on Sudbury Reef, 50 kms (31 miles) east of Cairns off the Queensland coast.
Three coral outposts had to be demolished to free the vessel and owner, Malaysian International Shipping Corp Bhd was fined A$400,000 (US$208,000) for environmental damage.
Transport Minister John Anderson said a review into ship safety and environmental protection of the World Heritage area found it was inappropriate to impose constraints or bans on vessels using the reef's inner shipping route.
"This recognises Australia's international obligations to respect a ship's freedom of navigation on the high seas and right to innocent passage in our territorial waters," he said in a statement.
However the report, now under consideration, made 41 recommendations to improve ship safety and environmental protection in the Reef and nearby Torres Strait, an international shipping lane with significant fishing grounds.
About 6,000 vessels over 50 metres in length move through the Reef every year, most using the inner route, in addition to the 1,500 tourism vessels and 25,000 fishing boats operating on the Reef, making it Australia's busiest shipping zone.
Between 1985 and 2000, there were 11 collisions and 20 groundings within the inner route of the Great Barrier Reef, none of which resulted in a significant oil spill, loss of life or ship damage, the report said.
The report, compiled by Australia's Maritime Safety Authority, transport departments and the Great Barrier Reef Maritime Park Authority, identified the Torres Strait as being more vulnerable to a shipping incident than the Reef.
The review recommended moving the boarding and disembarking point for pilots on the inner route from north of Cairns to a point south of the city to reduce the risk of accidents.
"This will effectively extend the pilotage area to include the area where the container ship Bunga Teratai Satu ran aground last year," Anderson said.
Other recommendations included calls for tougher scrutiny of pilot training and qualifications, better navigation equipment and a crackdown on high risk and substandard ships.