We’ve got good news. The Chinese owner of the coal/oil ship that ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef says that all costs will be covered by the vessel’s insurance including fines and clean-up costs from the accident. Interestingly the company, Shenzhen Energy, denied legal responsibility for the accident and the environmental clean-up. That statement was based on the fact that a “joint venture involving a Tianjin subsidiary of China Ocean Shipping Company, the world’s second-biggest shipping firm with 850 vessels, and Japanese company KEYMAX.” According to Shenzhen that joint venture is responsible and liable for safety and pollution prevention and the vessel’s insurance would cover ”all costs for hull damage … rescue and rescue costs, oil pollution and fines”. The black box of the ship has been taken by investigators to determine the cause of why the ship strayed off course and how it met Douglas Shoal head on. What will the find?
Also the NYTimes reports that the fuel tank has been punctured. Making it more difficult for salvage experts to remove the cargo off of the Chinese tanker and off to another ship. The two tug boats that are on the scene are trying to stabilize the huge ship in between the swells of the ocean, in effect making the ship rock back and forth.
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