Ship runs aground near Great Barrier Reef

(CNN) — A Chinese-registered ship carrying coal that ran aground off the coast of northeast Australia was leaking oil Sunday near the Great Barrier Reef — the world’s largest coral reef system.

The ship, called Shen Neng 1, was carrying about 65,000 tons of coal to China from the port of Gladstone when it ran aground at about 5:10 p.m. Saturday, according to a Queensland state government statement.

The vessel was carrying about 950 tons of oil on board and was leaking into the surrounding waters early Sunday, according to the statement.

Maritime Safety Queensland has responded to the scene to assess the spill and plan a clean-up. A light aircraft was expected to spray a chemical solution on the oil.

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According to a report from Reuters, the salvage company Svitzer had been employed to carry out an assement sometime today.

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