Australia sends help to Solomon Islands as grounded Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship leaks oil into World Heritage-listed waters
- Rennell Island is the largest raised coral atoll in the world and includes a Unesco World Heritage Site which extends kilometres out to sea
- Indonesian firm Bintan Mining SI chartered the ship to take bauxite from its mine on the western half of Rennell Island to China
Australia is sending more help to the Pacific nation of the Solomon Islands to stop oil from a grounded cargo ship destroying a World Heritage-listed marine sanctuary, Australia’s foreign minister said on Sunday.
At least 75 tonnes of heavy fuel oil has spilled from Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier Solomon Trader since Cyclone Oma drove it onto a reef at Rennell Island on February 5.
The ship was carrying 700 tonnes of oil when it ran aground and there are fears the remaining fuel will spoil Rennell Island, the world’s largest raised coral atoll and home to many species found nowhere else.
“Australia remains extremely concerned by the ongoing risk of a major oil spill,” said Foreign Minister Marise Payne in a release on Sunday.
“Up to 75 tonnes of heavy fuel oil from the ship has dispersed across the Island’s sea and shoreline, contaminating the ecologically delicate area.
