On 3 April 2010, while transiting from
Gladstone, Queensland, to China carrying a cargo of 65,000 tonnes of
coal,
Shen Neng 1 ran aground off
Great Keppel Island,
Australia, at
geographic coordinates . The ship went aground outside the shipping lane. It is in a restricted area which forms part of the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, a
World Heritage Site designated by
UNESCO. 2,000 litres of the chemical dispersant
Corexit 9527 was applied to the oil slick. A salvage contract was awarded to
Svitzer, led by Jan Polderman SVITZER Salvage B.V. and Drew Shannon of SVITZER Salvage Australia, who co-ordinated the salvage response. Salvage engineers from Australia and marine surveyors assisted stabilise the vessel, coordinate resources and provide expert advice to salvage masters acting at the time. On 14 April, the captain and officer on watch at the time of the accident were arrested. They were charged and appeared in court on 15 April.
Investigation Two investigations have been opened into the grounding. The investigations are being conducted by the
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). The preliminary investigation has found fatigue as the major contributor to the grounding. Prior to the grounding, there were no checks to ensure fatigue was minimised by the governing authorities (AMSA). A news story claimed that the ship was attempting to take a shortcut when it ran aground. ==See also==