|
Scuba Diving News
|
|
Monday, 12 April 2010 02:26 |
Three people have been arrested for taking a ship through protected waters around Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
The arrests come only one day after the Shen Neng 1 ran aground on Austalia's Great Barrier Reef.
The Shen Neng 1 ran aground one day prior
The men, from Vietnam and South Korea, were arrested after taking the coal ship MV Mimosa out of an official shipping lane and into the marine reserve last Sunday.
The Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, said: "If we have any foreign vessel or any vessel violating the proper protection of the Great Barrier Reef they should have the book thrown at them."
The arrests came after police received a tip off from maritime authorities after the ship, which had not been registered with an official tracking system, failed to respond to communication attempts.
a
It is believed that this incident underlines the "rat run" practise being used by same major shipping companies who use the Great barrier Reef as an illegal short-cut to save on journey times and fuel costs. Locally, the area has become known as "the coal highway" as it is used by bulk carriers of coal and oil headed for Asia.
Bob Brown, leader of the Australian Greens party said last week: "This is the $60bn-a-year, largely foreign-owned coal industry that is making a coal highway out of the Great Barrier Reef. There needs to be a radical overview of this huge coal export industry, whether these ships need to use the reef at all, and what the alternatives are."
The incident has highlighted the question of a reform to Austalia's shipping regulations with green groups pushing for legislation to ensure carriers have marine pilots of local expertise. Many green and conversationist groups point the finger squarely at the Austalian government for turning a blind eye to the problem in the name of profit.
The Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, said the issue of marine pilots was being reviewed because of the increase of freight traffic from new gas and coal export contracts with China.
If convited, the arrested men face fines of $200,000 (Australian Dollars = £121,000GBP / $187,000USD) |
