Oil Spills
Oil Spills are a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef and no matter how hard the government has tried to stop them they still continue to occur. Since 1987 there have been a total of 283 spills over the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Last one was recorded in 2010 when a Chinese bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1, carrying 975 tonnes of oil and 65,000 tonnes of coal spilled 10 kilometres outside the regulation shipping lane in the Great Barrier Reef causing a massive grounding scar over 3 kl long (longest in history). Since then the damaged area has become inhabitable for marine life. Experts suggest that the reef may take up to 10 to 20 years to recover from the incident. Agencies increased the maximum allowable fine for shipping companies that damage the Great Barrier Reef in response to the oil spill.