Environmental fears in Indian Ocean
- Mon, 9 Jan 2012
- Comments (2)
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A tanker has sparked environmental fears in the Indian Ocean by crashing into Christmas Island, 220 miles south of Indonesia.
The Panama-registered ship, Tycoon, spread part of its phosphate load across a reef in Flying Fish Cove, the island's capital, yesterday.
It was forced against a sea wall by strong wind and big waves and eyewitnesses told Australia's Daily Telegraph that the hull was starting to break up.
The Australian Navy and Federal Police have rescued 15 crew members from the vessel.
Click here to see a picture of the accident.
Dawn Smith,
January 10 15:35
Your headline suggests a tanker has run aground on Christmas Island, but the photo in the telegraph shows a bulk carrier and not a tanker! Phosphate is mined and loaded onto bulk carriers by PRL on Christmas Island. It is also transported packed in plastic bags loaded onto pallets. Your headline would suggest that an oil tanker has crashed into Christmas Island and that by the very implication the cargo is threatening wild life. The photo clearly shows the ship at the phosphate loading dock which is at the end of phosphate road on Christmas Island. Whilst I do not dispute that the ships bulk cargo of phosphates and its fuel is an environmental disaster waiting to happen, the headline is very misleading.