More oil leak fears from coal carrier

Wildlife carers are on standby as authorities prepare a risky operation to remove
heavy oil from a grounded Chinese vessel in the Great Barrier Reef.
The Chinese-registered coal carrier, Shen Neng 1, is stuck on a protected part of
the reef off the central Queensland coast near Rockhampton after crashing into it at
full speed on Saturday.
Massive booms have been placed adjacent to the ship to contain possible spills as
authorities prepare to pump 950 tonnes of heavy oil from the stricken vessel.
Rockhampton mayor Brad Carter says it is a delicate operation and there is a risk of
more oil being leaked.
Several tonnes of oil have already leaked from the ship but authorities say the
resulting slick has been dispersed using chemicals.
Mr Carter says pumping could start as early as Thursday and finish on Friday
depending on the weather.
"Planning has been put in place to deal with the worst case scenario," Mr Carter said.
Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) has begun testing the 200-metre booms that form a J
configuration between the coal carrier and a tug.
"... (The booms) act as a physical barrier to trap and contain any oil that may
spill," MSQ general manager Patrick Quirk said.
"We need to get this right and be satisfied we have all our risk management measures
in place before we start pumping oil off the ship.
"We're not going to rush into this operation - we want to manage the risk and manage
it closely."
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett flew over the Shen Neng 1 on Thursday to
inspect the situation.
"Oil is the substance that will pose the greatest threat to the ecology of the Great
Barrier reef and the operation to successfully get oil from the vessel onto the
bunker will significantly reduce that risk," Mr Garrett said.
"It's still going to take some time."
The RSPCA is rallying wildlife volunteers to be on standby in case there is a major
oil spill.
The state government says computer modelling shows that if there was a significant
spill, the oil could wash up at Cape Manifold (north of Yeppoon) in two to three
days.