Shen Neng 1 had 12 mile-wide safe shipping channel with 40m-deep water - but it still managed to hit Great Barrier Reef
THE Shen Neng 1 ran aground in waters which were "not navigationally challenging" - hitting a reef at the edge of a 12 mile-wide, 40m-deep channel, it emerged today.
As salvage crews worked to offload oil from the Chinese bulk carrier and free it from the Great Barrier Reef at Douglas Shoal, north of Gladstone, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority revealed that the vessel's sailing plans showed it had always intended to travel through the 'short cut' where it ran aground.
But exactly how the vessel ended up stuck on the reef remains a mystery - the channel between North West Island and Douglas Shoal is 12 nautical miles wide and the water there is 40m deep.
AMSA said in a statement there were also navigation aids in the area which was not considered " navigationally challenging".
The AMSA statement said there were no ‘recommended routes’ in the area "as there is sufficient sea room to manoeuvre the ship to avoid collision, water depths of approximately 40 metres and navigational aids to assist in
Maps released by AMSA show that while many ships take the safer, more northern route before heading out to the open ocean, the 12 mile-wide passage between North West Island and Douglas Shoal is also frequently used.
An AMSA spokesperson said the crew had planned to head through the less-popular route under the shoal but steered off course 5.8 nautical miles, running aground.
Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Patrick Quirk said yesterday the route was not ``best practice’’ and a more northern route, over the top of the shoal, increased ``risk allowances’’ significantly.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said today the Federal Government will consider expanding the use of marine pilots and vessel tracking systems in the wake of the Shen Neng 1 disaster.
Mr Rudd, who surveyed the stricken coal carrier from the air yesterday, said this morning the Government was prepared to toughen shipping requirements.
``If we need to also look at other measures for the future including a wider use of pilotage and the wider use of the vessel tracking system that applies in the northern parts of the Reef, then we will,'' he told Townsville radio.
The Greens have called for marine pilots to be mandatory aboard vessels travelling through the Great Barrier Reef.
Currently, vessels only require pilots when travelling through State Government waters, not Commonwealth-controlled zones.
Mr Rudd said the Government will be demanding answers on how the coal carrier strayed off course in the protected area and became grounded.
``This is absolutely outrageous how this could've happened,'' he said today.
``Here you have this massive boat, this massive ship, 12 kilometres off course, broad daylight, in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef. So well be demanding some answers on this one.''
