Grounded Ship: 3km Oil Spill on Great Barrier Reef -- "High Speed Impact" ...

[defendandprotect]

(edited for copyright purposes-proud patriot Moderator Democratic Underground)

Published on Sunday, April 4, 2010 by The Sydney Morning Herald
Grounded Ship: 3km Oil Spill on Great Barrier Reef
by Marissa Calligeros

Maritime authorities are racing to disperse an oil spill stretching three kilometres along the Great Barrier Reef.

The Chinese-registered bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 aground 70 kilometres east of Great Keppel Island. INSET: A close-up of the ship shows oil leaking from it's port side. (Photo: AeroRescue/AMSA. Inset: Maritime Safety Queensland)The Chinese-owned, 230 metre-long bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1, ran aground about 70 kilometres east of Great Keppel Island shortly after 5pm on Saturday, sparking a national oil spill response plan.

A second dose of chemical dispersants was to be sprayed over the spill, which measures 3000 metres by 100 metres, Maritime Safety Queensland has confirmed.

"One set of dispersants were deployed by light aircraft earlier today and a second spray has been scheduled for this afternoon to manage a 'ribbon' of oil," Maritime Safety Queensland said in a statement.

"While the amount of oil is considered relatively small at this stage, it is a'persistent' substance and expected to take some time to break apart."

The chemical dispersant was sprayed this morning over two small patches of oil, understood to amount to two tonnes.

The spill is located about four kilometres from the grounded bulk coal carrier, which is carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 65,000 tonnes of coal.

Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Patrick Quirk said an ocean swell of about two to three metres had ruled out deploying a 'boom' to contain the spill to date.(snip)




http://www.smh.com.au/environment/grounded-ship-3km-oil-spill-on-great-barrier-reef-20100404-rlec.html



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The insanities of capitalism roll on and on --

WHEN are we going to stop this - ?

"High Speed Impact Crash" .... human error and yet we're commiting ourselves to more

nuclear power!!

[cbayer]

1. defendandprotect,

Please be aware that our posting rules require limiting copyrighted material to four paragraphs or less with a link to the original source.

Thanks,

cbayer
DU Moderator

[protocol rv]

2. Insanity of Capitalism?

Let's put this into perspective. A Chinese coal carrier runs into a reef, and you use this as a platform to discuss the "insanity of capitalism"? What do you propose, that Australia become communist? And this is going to avoid pollution?

[nannah]

5. not paying to have a marine pilot on board is a capitalism issue

protecting profits, holding down costs of operation, a wink nod with the politicians, taking a risk with other people's property and resources, destroying resource and natural environment for the sake of saving $10,000.00, that's the capitalism part.

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. Are you suggesting that the rich get richer by cutting corners???

.
.
.

boggles the mind

:freak:

[protocol rv]

7. I don't buy it

There's nothing wrong with protecting profits. Wink and nods to politicians have been and are more prevalent in socialist countries, where corruption and unitary party rule lead to enormous environmental damages. Or do you forget Chernobyl? Or the Sea of Azov? The destruction of the environment isn't associated with capitalism, it's associated with homo sapiens population - and the record by socialist nations has been dismal.

Maybe the problem arises because so many of you are not aware of history, or what really happens in a socialist versus a capitalist society.

Also, I happen to be familiar with ship navigation rule making. The ship ran aground because of human error. Putting a pilot aboard may or may not have been the best solution. And this has nothing to do with capitalism. Putting a pilot aboard a vessel navigating far from shore isn't such a simple matter. It makes more sense to have ship lanes well defined, ensure the vessels have proper navigation equipment, and marine patrols and transponders aboard the vessels can be used to make sure they follow the ship lanes.

Unfortunately, under the law of the sea, there is a limit to the ability of nations to monitor ship events far from shore. And this is where the problem really arises, they dump garbage and bilge water away from everybody's eyes. And this is done whether the ship's owner is capitalist, socialist, or communist.

[nannah]

9. wielding a power differential to benefit yourself...

not exclusive to capitalism for sure. finding a way to live in the world without the threat of one group using their power to benefit themselves while compromising the safety and health of others is the challenge.

[defendandprotect]

16. Having "power" does not give you a right to do something . . .

wielding a power differential to benefit yourself...
not exclusive to capitalism for sure. finding a way to live in the world without the threat of one group using their power to benefit themselves while compromising the safety and health of others is the challenge.

What you're describing there is patriarchy . . . and its exploitations.

"Manifest Destiny" and "Man's Dominion Over Nature" -- all based on exploitation

licensed by patriarchy's organized patriarchal religion.

Patriarchy is based on violence/exploitation --

[nannah]

23. weilding a power differential to benefit yourself is what has happened again and again

that's why it is a challenge to do something different. it is within our neurological capability to create a world in which fairness is a viable element. we are wired to assess fairness. we have the capacity. it is the political and religious structure that blocks that instinct.

humans learned early that cooperation was the key to survival.

[defendandprotect]

15. Human error exists, unfortunately -- that's why nuclear stuff isn't good for anything!!

You must have forgotten the Exxon Valdez . . . ?

And, the issue of steel hulls to protect from damage such as this . . . ?

This is something wrong with "protecting profits" when it is dangerous to nature and

animal life and human beings. And, when "profits" become the yardstick by which

everything else is judged!

And neither do you seem to get the role played by capitalism/profits/exploitation in

Global Warming!

You're living in huge denial . . . have fun! Bye --

[ManiacJoe]

12. Not having a local pilot does not seem to be the problem.

The ship was 13 miles off course and well outside the normal shipping lanes.

[AnnieBW]

13. Oh, but it was too expensive

If it's not the Chinese espionage, it's their incompetence, corruption, and willing to cut costs at any price that is killing this planet.

[defendandprotect]

17. . . . and a pilot would not have noticed it was off course . . . !!!????

[ManiacJoe]

20. Or an attentive captain or other bridge crew?!?!?!?

In this day of GPS, there is no excuse for being 1/10 of a mile off course, say nothing of 13 miles.

Pilots are great for inside harbors, not so much in the open sea.

[defendandprotect]

21. Evidently, those familiar with shipping think a pilot should be on board . . .

and evidently the only reason they don't do it is $$$$$$$$$$$$$ --

And, of course, we well remember why the ExxonValdez went off course -- i.e.,

a drunken Captain below decks!

I imagine there will be a few added bits of info in this case, as well!

[ManiacJoe]

24. I am not sure that "Greens" would necessarily qualify as

"those familiar with shipping".

[defendandprotect]

25. From the article: Senator Brown, a Green Leader -- and "common sense" . . .

Good enough for me --

and, a look in the rearview mirrow shows that common sense to be correct!



Greens blame Bligh government

Meanwhile environmentalists have expressed outrage that the state and federal governments for allowing the carrier to travel along the Queensland coast without the guidance of an Australia marine pilot.

Greens leader Bob Brown said the Shen Neng 1 did not have a marine pilot on board when the accident occurred.

"Despite calls for all such ships to have pilots aboard, both Canberra and Brisbane have bowed to the coal and shipping companies to avoid this common sense requirement," Mr Brown said in a statement today.

Senator Brown said the "reckless" decision not to insist on pilots had caused a potential disaster near one of the world's greatest natural wonders.

He slammed moves to expand coal exports throughout the Great Barrier Reef area, given there was no plans for mandatory ship piloting.

Greens spokeswoman Larissa Waters also said it was "unacceptable" that marine pilots were not made compulsory for all carriers travelling through the inner passage to the Great Barrier Reef .

Ms Waters said the cost of engaging a marine pilot for the length of the Reef would be $8,000- $10,000 according the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

"Cutting costs on this while risking our multi-billion dollar reef tourism industry is unforgivable," she said.

Ms Waters said the government was treating the Great Barrier Reef like a "coal highway" at the expense of the world renowned marine park.

"Government is bending over backwards to increase exports of fossil fuels, rather than investing in job rich clean renewable energy which safeguards our reef," Ms Waters said.

"The state government is being blinded by royalties and this short-sightedness will go down in history as killing the Reef."

[defendandprotect]

14. Capitalism is based on exploitation -- of nature and natural resources . ..

ever heard of "Manifest Destiny" and "Man's Dominion Over Nature"?

And the ONLY alternative to "communism" is capitalism?

No -- What the USSR practiced was totalitarian communism, as J. Edgar Hoover always

correctly called it.

Another alternative to capitalism is Democratic socialism --

And, that's also distinct from the "socialism" that Hitler practiced --

which was based on taking a legitimate socialist party which supported women's rights,

labor unions, etal and co-opting it to abuse those women's rights and rights of labor

unions, etal.

[ensho]

3. horrible news - with horrible consequences

nt

[defendandprotect]

18. Didn't realize when I posted this, however, that the fact it involves Chinese . . .

would cause such a wealthy of comments dissing China while they ignored

the environmental tragedy --

and the once again issue of oil being spilled in our oceans!

[Overseas]

4. K&R . //nt

[amborin]

8. K&R

really awful

[malaise]

10. Saw this on BBC

This is a major disaster

[flyarm]

11. And there lies our fate in Fla now with much of our shorelines going to be exposed to Oil drilling!

Thank you Obama, you did what no republican could, for decades of trying!

Was that the deal you made Obama to get our republican legislature in Fla to change our primary date so you could steal our state delegates?


Funny I sat on the beach yesterday with another Dem former delegate here in Fla..and we said..we are the Sunshine state ..and yet no government building..and all the condo's on the beach ..none have solar panels..no solar panels to be found around my popular area of Florida..just imagine if Obama said ..put solar panels up and leave our oceans pristine..and don't destroy the eco system..put up solar panels in the Sunshine state..

but no ..he just opened most of our shorelines and ocean ..both the Atlantic side and the Gulf of Mexico to drilling..and to a disaster like this!

[defendandprotect]

19. Any chance that you're going to be able to stop Obama?

IMO it's simply more abuse of nature -- and more avoidance of moving on

to ending use of fossil fuels . . .

We should nationalize oil industry -- and get electric cars on the road --

:)

[walldude]

22. amount of oil is considered relatively small at this stag

printed 2 sentences below "which measures 3000 metres by 100 metres," sorry but a 2 mile oil spill is not fucking "small".