Brisbane, 19 Sep 2016 – Responding to the $39.3m settlement the Australian government has reached with the owners of the Shen Neng 1 Chinese coal carrier that ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef six years ago, Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s reef campaigner Shani Tager said:
“This settlement is woefully inadequate, given the damage this ship has caused.
“The government has said the full cleanup will cost more than $140m so to settle for such a small figure is disappointing. [1]
“While we welcome the end of this six-year saga, it has to serve as a reminder that accidents happen. It’s clear that coal and the reef don’t mix and the government needs to do more to protect this precious place.
“Coal port expansions and new coal mines would make a repeat of this accident more likely in future and must be ruled out,” she added.
[1] Costs to remove toxic paint from Great Barrier Reef 'triples' to $141 million, Brisbane Times, 7 May 2016.