2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill

2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill
MV Shen Neng 1 aground, April 2010
Location	Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates	23°06′06″S 151°38′57″E / 23.101667°S 151.649167°E / -23.101667; 151.649167 (Sheng Neng 1 Great Barrier Reef grounding)Coordinates: 23°06′06″S 151°38′57″E / 23.101667°S 151.649167°E / -23.101667; 151.649167 (Sheng Neng 1 Great Barrier Reef grounding)
Date	3 April 2010
Cause	The grounding of MV Shen Neng 1 on Douglas Shoal off Great Keppel Island
Operator	Shenzhen Energy
Volume	20 to 30 m3 (710 to 1,060 cu ft)
Area	3 km (1.9 mi)

The 2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill occurred on 3 April 2010, when the Chinese bulk coal carrier, MV Shen Neng 1 ran aground east of Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia. The vessel is owned by Shenzhen Energy Transport Co. Ltd.

The ship was more than 10 km outside the shipping lane. It struck the reef late in the afternoon of 3 April, scraping along the reef for a considerable distance and creating the longest known grounding scar on the Great Barrier Reef. Tugs were sent to remove the ship which was feared would break apart in rough seas. Eventually the vessel was refloated and taken to Hervey Bay. After unloading about a third of its cargo Shen Neng 1 was towed to Singapore. The ship's captain and officer-on-watch were both charged. The maximum fine for shipping companies that cause damage to the reef was increased after the incident.

The 230-metre (750 ft) bulk carrier was en route to China from Gladstone, Queensland, when it sailed outside the shipping lane and ran aground on Douglas Shoal at around 17:00 on 3 April, 120 kilometres (75 mi) from Rockhampton and 70 km (43 mi) east of Great Keppel Island. One of the vessel's fuel tanks was damaged creating a narrow oil slick of heavy fuel oil 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) from Shen Neng 1: though initially estimated at up to 150 tonnes (147.6 long tons), on investigation, it was found that only 3 to 4 t (3.0 to 3.9 long tons) was lost. The slick was broken up using chemical dispersants: the 2-to-3-metre (6.6 to 9.8 ft) swell prevented the use of a boom to contain the oil.Maritime Safety Queensland was considering the possibility that the ship could break up, releasing another 800 t (790 long tons) of fuel oil. Two tugboats were sent out to help secure and stabilise Shen Neng 1, and a Queensland Maritime Police launch was placed on standby to rescue the 23 crew members if necessary. According to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Shen Neng 1 was supposed to be on a route between Douglas Shoal and the Capricorn Islands, but went aground 5.8 nmi (10.7 km; 6.7 mi) outside the shipping lane.