Australia plans tough Great Barrier Reef shipping laws

Australia is planning to subject commercial ships passing through all parts of the Great Barrier Reef to greater surveillance. The tough new measures are intended to protect the region from pollution. It follows the grounding of the Chinese bulk carrier, the Shen Neng I, which leaked about three tons of oil into the sea after hitting a sandbank. The Chinese coal carrier ran aground in restricted waters around the reef in early April. Ships sailing through southern parts of the Great Barrier Reef will be tracked by satellite and required to regularly report their movements under the new regulations. Vessels using the reef's northern expanses are already subject to such strict monitoring. Moves to extend the system were being drawn up before the Shen Neng 1 hit a sandbank at full speed on Easter Saturday, causing extensive damage. The environmental scare has added greater urgency to efforts to ensure that freighters can safely negotiate the sensitive waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Conservationists say that greater surveillance will make a difference. Richard Leck from WWF Australia also believes that professional navigators can prevent accidents, including the recent grounding of the Chinese bulk carrier: "The key thing that we see is needed alongside this tracking system is to have pilots onboard every large that traverses the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area. Most of the incidents that occur within the World Heritage area are due to human error."