Great Barrier Reef

[amay121]

http://reefbuilders.com/2010/04/04/chinese-tanker-runs-aground-great-barrier-reef/

[Coral Hind]

Wow, that really bites! Totally unacceptable to be that far outside of the shipping lanes.

[zygote2k]

It was either leaving a port near the accident site or arriving. Look at where it's at- It would have to be several hundred miles off course for this to happen. I'm sure there are many tankers and other cargo vessels that ply the waters around the reef everyday. We only hear about the accidents...

[Coral Hind]

An update on this. I checked the maps and it looks like instead of going around the reef to get out to sea the boat's captain decided to cut across the reef to save time. Big dummy.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7018308872

 

 

[zygote2k]

A Maritime Safety Queensland spokesman has confirmed the existence of a channel that has enough depth to enable ships to pass through, allowing its operators to save time and money in their journeys. If the captain of the vessel is found guilty of trying to execute this maneuver, he too will face a fine.

 

Boaters say they typically see one tanker a day traversing the narrow waterway.

 

 

Sounds like more is at work here than what is being told. Sucks for the reef, but sounds like authorities are regularly bribed to look the other way when tankers take the shortcut. Maybe a nature organization will launch a campaign to nurse the reef back to health and seperate a few of you from your money to "help clean up this disaster".

 

Corruption at its' finest.

[Novi]

"Captains will be hit with a 5 million dollar fine if caught doing a rat run"

 

Nice!!

[Coral Hind]

Just an update I saw on this topic.

 

"Australian police arrested a Chinese ship captain and senior officer Wednesday and charged them with damaging the Great Barrier Reef, more than a week after their coal carrier ran aground and tore a two-mile (three-kilometer) gash in the protected area."

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100414/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_coal_carrier

[Chris-]

So nice to get our share also.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100427/ap_on_bi_ge/us_louisiana_oil_rig_explosion

[davidm]

So nice to get our share also.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100427/ap_on_bi_ge/us_louisiana_oil_rig_explosion

 

 

"drill, baby drill". well, given a moment's thought - maybe not.

[Chris-]

Up, too late, N America eco system destroyed. Game over, thanks for playing.