A dozing first mate may have contributed to the grounding of a bulk carrier on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, authorities have hinted. Shen Neng 1. Federal investigators are exploring whether the first mate of the stricken 70,000-dwt Shen Neng 1 (built 1993) was asleep while on duty as the bulker rammed the reef at full speed this weekend, reports say.
Interviews with the crew are taking place today with the alertness of the first mate both before and at the time of the crash one focus, says The Australian newspaper. The development came as prime minister Kevin Rudd revealed the master of the Shen Neng 1, Captain Wang Jichang, could face jail if he is found to have breached any laws. Rudd, in an interview with national radio, also said the ship’s owner could be hit with a fine of up to AUD 5.5m ($5.08m).
The Shen Neng 1 is owned by Chinese electricity generator, Shenzhen Energy. It crashed into Great Keppel Island on Saturday evening and has since leaked some fuel oil into the ocean. Salvage experts say they will soon be ready to begin pumping fuel from the ship, which has suffered severe damage to some of its tanks. Booms have been placed around the vessel to contain any further spills.
Patrick Quirk, general manager of Maritime Safety Queensland, said: “This isn’t a race, we’re here for the long game, and we want to get to the finish line. “We’re continuing to assess the condition of the ship and have a monitoring system in place to help us assess what action we take next. “We have our spray aircraft on standby if more oil leaks and it was effective when used in the early stage of the incident.”
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