Source: The Press Association
April 13, 2010

A coal carrier which ran aground and leaked about three tons of oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef completely pulverised parts of a shoal and caused damage so severe it could take marine life 20 years to recover, the reef's chief scientist said.

Initial assessments by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority found the 755ft (230m) Shen Neng 1 left a scar 1.9 miles (3km) long and up to 820ft (250m) wide along the world's largest coral reef, said David Wachenfeld, who is co-ordinating the authority's assessment of the ship's impact.

"We were expecting some fairly severe damage to this location, and our observations to date confirm that expectation," he said.

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