‘Once again the anti-resources activists have been caught out in their latest scaremongering campaign that features re-runs of Bob Irwin’s Fight for the Reef TV advertisements,’ Mr Roche said.
‘All of the false claims put forward in the ad – which we have seen before – are wrong, including the number of coal ships that will export from the ports and claims of fast-tracking mega industrial ports.
‘The WWF ads have Mr Irwin claiming that 7,000 coal ships will be 'crossing the reef'.
‘No coal ships 'cross the reef' - they in fact travel through designated naturally occurring shipping channels.
‘The official forecast from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority is that by 2020 some 2,450 coal ships will be using the coal ports in the reef zone.
Source: Queensland Resources Council
Keeping the Reef and Ships Safe
All ships traveling through the designated naturally occurring shipping channels are monitored by REEFVTS
Australia leads the world in shipping management, demonstrated by the International Maritime Organisation’s adoption of Australia’s mandatory ship reporting system in 1996.
Since then we have boosted navigation services through automated position reporting, an automatic ship identification system and decision-support tools mandated for use along the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).
The system is called REEFVTS and operated 24/7 from Townsville. Despite a substantial increase in ship movements since 1996, groundings have reduced from one per year to just a single incident in the 10 years since its introduction.
The increased coverage of the system in the southern GBR means that all shipping activity is now monitored, greatly reducing the likelihood of an industrial shipping incident in the future.
Source: Queensland Resources Council
Designated Shipping Channel to Abbot Point
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