Qld: Reef faces future threat from more LNG, coal exports

AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-2010
Qld: Reef faces future threat from more LNG, coal exports

Eds: Adds latest Bob Brown quotes in 5th, 6th, 7th pars



By Jessica Marszalek

BRISBANE, April 5 AAP - The Queensland government is under pressure to safeguard the
Great Barrier Reef against shipping threats as it ramps up coal and liquefied natural
gas (LNG) exports.

The 230m Chinese coal ship Shen Neng 1 ran aground about 70km east of Great Keppel
Island on Saturday, spilling two tonnes of oil into protected marine park waters.

The bulk carrier remains in danger of breaking apart and damaging the marine environment
by releasing 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and its cargo of 65,000 tonnes of coal into
the sea.

Environmentalists and politicians say the risk of such accidents will only increase
as Queensland increases resources exports.

Greens leader Bob Brown said the reef was recklessly being used as a "coal highway".

He said the coal industry was not just threatening the reef from climate change, but
from spills too.

"It's absolutely clear that the threat is not only real but the reef is going to come
to grief," he said.

Mr Brown said the crisis would not have happened if a pilot had been aboard to guide
the ship on its journey up the coast. The Queensland opposition says a lack of radar coverage
of ships in the area is also a problem.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said requiring local pilots on board ships in Great Barrier
Reef waters and better tracking systems could help mitigate risks to the reef from shipping.

"We have a premier spruiking the wonders of building a whole new LNG industry (and)
a three- or four-times expansion of the coal industry in Queensland," Capricorn Conservation
Council's vice president Ian Herbert said.

"The numbers of ships that are going to be plying these waters will greatly increase,
increasing the likelihood of similar events in the future."

The Australian Conservation Foundation has called for export ships to sail south on
their way to the Pacific Ocean, instead of taking the northerly course up the Queensland
coast.

Ms Bligh said she realised shipping traffic would increase, and maritime authorities
had already been working on a risk analysis looking at issues such as mandatory pilots
aboard cargo and freight vessels.

Environmental groups also say not enough is being done to understand the effects of
a large-scale coal spill, especially considering the sharp rise in coal shipments.

"It's a wake-up call to all of us," the WWF's Gilly Llewellyn said.

"It's time to have a strategic look at all aspects around the growth and development
of the coal industry in Queensland and the environmental consequences that come along
with that growth."

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Greens leader Bob Brown called on Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd to personally take charge of the situation.

AAP jmm/jl/apm

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