Chinese ship caused 'significant' damage to Australian reef

SYDNEY: Chinese coal ship that ran aground on Australia's Great Barrier Reef has left "significant scarring and coral damage" to nearly 3 kilometers of reef, authorities confirmed today.

Rescue operations to re-float the Shen Neng 1 overnight were successful, with the bulk carrier now anchored 9 kms off Great Keppel Island, in northern Queensland.

Concerns have shifted to the 3-km long, 250-meter wide trail of destruction the vessel caused when it ran aground at Douglas Shoal on April 3.

The 230-meter long bulk carrier was carrying about 975 tons of fuel oil when it ran into trouble.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority chairman Russell Reichelt told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that the ship had traveled more than 1 km since it first became stranded.

"It didn't just (run) aground and stop," he said. "It migrated over a kilometer over the week doing damage as it went." "On the first look they have found significant scarring and coral damage -- they've also found quite a lot of anti-fouling," he said.

The authority is now conducting tests on paint scrapings found on the protected reef, with fears the paint could be toxic. Clean-up efforts in the area are likely to be the biggest ever undertaken on the Great Barrier Reef.