Great Barrier Reef Coal Carrier Traffic On Track To Grow 67% By 2016 - Bloomberg

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April 9 (Bloomberg) -- The corals, whales and giant clams of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are in the path of a “coal highway” to China that may see shipments jump 67 percent by 2016, increasing the threat of an ecological disaster after a coal carrier ran aground last week.

Trade at Gladstone port in Queensland may rise to about 140 million tons, mostly coal, in six years from 84 million tons in the year ending in June, Gladstone Ports Corp. Chief Executive Officer Leo Zussino said in an interview. The port was the loading point for the Shen Neng 1, which hit a sand bank on April 3 at full speed carrying 68,000 metric tons of coal and 975 tons of fuel oil.

“It’s only a matter of time before a serious oil spill occurs unless we have a better system for regulating the traffic,” said Peter Harrison, a professor at Southern Cross University in New South Wales who has studied the impact of oil pollution on coral reefs for three decades. “It’s a difficult place to navigate.”

The reef, as much as 65 kilometers wide, is a breeding ground for humpback whales and is host to the world’s largest collection of corals, more than 1,500 species of tropical fish and more than 200 kinds of sea birds. Australia may tighten up monitoring of vessels travelling through the reef and require more pilots to guide ships, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said. Gladstone is one of 10 major ports near the World Heritage listed site, according to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Bob Brown, the senator who heads the Australian Greens party, said this week companies are “making a coal highway” out of the reef.

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