http://gcaptain.com/coal-shipping-threat-great-barrier/ Sat, 25 May 2013 13:08:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://gcaptain.com/coal-shipping-threat-great-barrier/#comment-34177 John Amos Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:45:46 +0000 http://gcaptain.com/?p=57672#comment-34177 "Routine" shipping was determined to not be a risk. But did this study consider the occasional, inevitable accident, like the grounding of a Chinese coal-carrier on the reef in 2010 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/15/australia-investigates-reef-crash-chinese-ship), and the oil spill from a cargo vessel off Queensland in 2009 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7943392.stm)? These are the real risks to the reef. It certainly doesn't help that vessels are routinely failing to use VTS, as required by Australian law — any increase in vessel traffic under these conditions is certainly going to raise the risk of collisions and groundings.

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