Fears for barrier reef as cargo ship leaks oil

Two tugboats were sent on Monday to stabilise the Chinese-registered Shen Neng 1 so it would not break apart and further damage the fragile coral beneath.

Late on Saturday, the Shen Neng 1 rammed into Douglas Shoals, an area that has shipping restrictions in order to protect the world's largest coral reef.

"We've always said the vessel is up in an area it shouldn't be in the first place," Marine Safety Queensland general manager Patrick Quirk said.

"How it got to that to that position will be the subject of a detailed investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Board."

Mr Quirk said the agency was aware other ships sometimes used a

shortcut through the reef, a practice now to be reviewed by the federal government.

The ship's owner, Shenzhen Energy, a subsidiary of the Cosco Group that is China's largest shipping operator, could be fined up to one million Australian dollars (600,000) for straying from a shipping lane used by 6,000 cargo vessels each year. A boom is to be put around the ship to contain oil leaking from the hull. Aircraft sprayed chemical

dispersants in an effort to break up the slick on Sunday.