Australia has extended a ship tracking system to cover the entire Great Barrier Reef to safeguard the reef and prevent a repeat of last year's grounding and oil spill by a Chinese bulker, Seatrade Asia reported.
The Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Vessel Traffic Service (REEFVTS) now covers the entire Great Barrier Reef from the Torres Strait to Bundaberg following the extension at the southern portion of the Marine Park between Mackay and Bundaberg. Last year April, Chinese bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground, spilling oil and scarring the Great Barrier Reef by a stretch of some 3km long and 250 metres wide.
“This extension of the REEFVTS to all parts of the Marine Park makes it the largest mandatory ship reporting system in the world, covering 350,000 square kilometres of ocean along the Queensland coast,” said Anthony Albanese, federal infrastructure and transport minister. “Our aim here is simple: to deter shipping companies and their crews from engaging in unsafe and irresponsible actions at sea, particularly near our environmentally sensitive marine ecosystems,” Albanese said. All ships transiting through the Park will be tracked by radio and satellite 24 hours a day, seven days a week.