''Jia Yong'', formerly MV ''Shen Neng 1'' () is a Chinese

bulk carrier A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo — such as grains, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement — in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, eco ...

built in 1993 as ''Bestore''. She was sold in 2007 and renamed ''Shen Neng 1''. In 2010, she ran aground off

Great Keppel Island Great Keppel Island (''Woppaburra, Wop-Pa, Wapparaburra'') lies from the coast off Yeppoon in the Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Capricorn Coast of Central Queensland. The island's traditional owners are the Wo ...

, Australia, spilling oil into

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

waters.

Construction

She was built as ''Bestore'' by Sanoyas Hishino Meisho in 1993 at long overall, with a beam of and a draught of . Her air draught is . The ship is powered by a 2-stroke Single Action 6-cylinder Sulzer 6RTA62

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

driving a single screw propeller. The engine can propel her at .

History

''Bestore'' was owned by Scinicariello Ship Management,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. She was sold for in 2007, and was renamed as ''Shen Neng 1'', meaning "Shenzhen Energy" in Chinese, when sold to Shenzhen Energy in 2007. Her callsign is BXAN. She was allocated IMO number 9040871, and the MMSI 413461550. The ship is owned by Shenzhen Energy Transportation Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Shenzhen Energy, whose logo appears on her funnel, and is managed by TOSCO‐KEYMAX International Ship Management Co. Ltd , a Sino-Japanese joint venture, and carries a crew of 23.

Great Barrier Reef grounding

On 3 April 2010, while transiting from

Gladstone, Queensland Gladstone () is a coastal city in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. Gladstone has an urban population of 34,703, and together with Boyne Island and Tannum Sands, had an estimated population of 50,317 at August 2021. This urban area c ...

, to China carrying a cargo of 65,000 tonnes of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

, ''Shen Neng 1 ''ran aground off

, Australia, at

geographic coordinates The geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or ellipsoidal coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on the Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest and most widely used of the various ...

. At the time of the grounding, ''Shen Neng 1'' was reported to have been travelling at full speed. She was severely damaged on her port side, and a long oil slick was later reported to have been seen. The ship's engine and rudder were damaged in the grounding. The ship went aground outside the shipping lane. It is in a restricted area which forms part of the

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. It is a vast multiple-use Marine Park which supports a wide range of uses, including commercial marine tourism, fishing, ports an ...

, a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

designated by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. As a result of the grounding, the fuel tanks of the vessel were punctured, allowing fuel oil to leak from the vessel. It was feared that the ship might break in two. 2,000 litres of the chemical dispersant Corexit 9527 was applied to the oil slick. A salvage contract was awarded to Svitzer, led by Jan Polderman SVITZER Salvage B.V. and Drew Shannon of SVITZER Salvage Australia, who co-ordinated the salvage response. Salvage engineers from Australia and marine surveyors assisted stabilise the vessel, coordinate resources and provide expert advice to salvage masters acting at the time. ''Shen Neng 1'' was refloated on 12 April 2010, after forecasts of bad weather meant that the salvage operation was brought forward. There were reports that large areas of the coral reef were damaged by the ship. On 14 April, the captain and officer on watch at the time of the accident were arrested. They were charged and appeared in court on 15 April.

Investigation

Two investigations have been opened into the grounding. The investigations are being conducted by the

Australian Maritime Safety Authority Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's international maritime obligations. The authority ...

(AMSA) and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

Queensland Premier The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is a ...

Anna Bligh said that the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

would be investigating why the ship was so far off route. It was reported that the ship's owner could be fined $1,000,000 and ''Shen Neng 1's'' captain $220,000. The ATSB despatched three investigators to

, on 4 April to collect evidence and conduct interviews. On 6 April they boarded the ship to interview the crew members and collect further evidence. The preliminary phase of the investigation was scheduled to take 28 days. A casualty co-ordinator from the AMSA boarded the ship. Three vessels were reported as giving assistance at the scene. The preliminary investigation has found fatigue as the major contributor to the grounding. Prior to the grounding, there were no checks to ensure fatigue was minimized by the governing authorities (AMSA). A news story claimed that the ship was attempting to take a shortcut when it ran aground.

References

External links