Aussies offload oil from grounded ship

Aussies offload oil from grounded ship    Australian officials said Thursday they are transferring oil within a bulk carrier that has grounded on a shoal near the Great Barrier Reef.
   Internal transfer of oil is continuing on the Shen Neng 1, the Chinese coal carrier grounded on shoal off the Central Queensland Coast.
   Maritime Safety Queensland General Manager Patrick Quirk said the goal was to transfer oil from vulnerable tanks to more secure tanks to minimize the risk of further oil spilling into the water.
   He said 'any reports that we're 'refloating' the ship today are probably a little premature — safely refloating the ship is the goal of course, but transferring the oil is the next stage in our step-by-step risk-based approach,' he said. 'As we advised yesterday, we will start transferring oil off the ship in the next 24 to 48 hours, assuming the necessary equipment is in place and that weather and sea conditions are favorable.'
   Meanwhile the Australian Marine Safety Authority said the ship had deviated from its sailing plan, entered a prohibited area and run aground on Douglas Shoal.
   A chart released by the authority showed the vessel some distance from where most ships traveled.
   “This area is considered not navigationally challenging and there are no 'recommended routes' as there is sufficient sea room to maneuver the ship to avoid collision, water depths of approximately 40 meters and navigational aids to assist in position fixing,” the authority said.