Oil spill disaster highlights need for tighter controls

Environment Minister Jim McGinty says the disastrous oil spill off the Shetland Islands has once again highlighted the need to establish navigation corridors to protect environmentally sensitive coastal areas. 

Mr McGinty said the loss of more than half of the 85,000 tonne cargo of oil from the grounded tanker 'Braer' was the latest in a series of oil spills which had wrought environmental havoc throughout the world in recent years. 

"The incidence of these bulk tankers running aground or losing large quantities of oil seems to be increasing and the time has now well and truly come for international maritime authorities to take more extensive steps to protect countries from further disasters," Mr McGinty said. 

"The preoccupation with the right of free passage and provisions, allowing captains to seek a port of refuge, fails to recognise the environmental concerns of modern coastal communities and their surrounding environment. 

"Under international law, ships have a right of free passage on the high seas outside the territorial limits of coastal countries - usually 12 nautical miles. 

"However, the time has come to place a greater emphasis on the environment and restrict the activities of bulk carriers with cargoes such as oil and other hazardous materials to an exclusion zone of between 25 and 50 nautical miles. 

"I have noted that BP Australia has adopted its own voluntary code for the vessels it owns or charters, which incorporates exclusion zones of 25 nautical miles for ships with cargoes of heavy oils and 10 nautical miles for light oils. 

"This is to be applauded and I will be contacting other oil companies seeking their support for the implementation of a similar policy." 

Mr McGinty said navigation corridors into ports had to be developed which took vessels carrying dangerous cargoes as far away from environmentally sensitive areas as possible. 

"Under the International Maritime Organisation Convention relating to ships routing, there is the possibility of declaring areas off the coast to be avoided because of a navigational hazard - which can be that the area is environmentally sensitive," he said. 

"As far as I am aware, only the Great Barrier Reef has been identified as a 'particularly sensitive area' in Australian waters under the IMO criteria, however, attempts are now underway to have Western Australia's Archipelago of the Recherche added to the list." 

Mr McGinty said Western Australia's pristine environment, including its abundant fishing grounds, had been threatened a number of times in recent years by incidents involving the Kirki, the Sanko Harvest and the Korean Star. 

"In these cases we have been lucky that clean-up efforts and weather conditions have ensured that the impact on our environment has been minimised," he said. 

"However, we cannot rely on luck and quick thinking forever - steps have to be taken at an international level to tighten up controls on shipping movements. 

"For this reason I will be seeking support from the Federal Environment Minister Ros Kelly, her colleague, Shipping Minister Bob Collins, and other environment and maritime ministers throughout Australia to prepare a co-ordinated national approach to the IMO."