Chinese Captain Fined for Entering Great Barrier Reef

The senior captain of a Chinese coal carrier was fined $8000 AUD ($6,252 USD) for sailing into a restricted section of Australia's Great Barrier Reef without a pilot, the Brisbane times reported today.

Local magistrate Ian Cheetham said Chih-Ming Lu, captain of the 288-meter China Steel Developer, displayed "reckless behavior" when his ship travelled 4.88 km (2.9 miles) into a restricted area without a pilot.

Large ships are prohibited from sailing into the "Hydrographer's Passage" without a pilot. Lu's defence barrister said his client believed a pilot would be joining him by helicopter before entering the restricted area and added that his client was "uncertain" where the line was. Magistrate Cheetham pointed out that Lu had travelled through the section on a number of prior occasions.

The investigation began when the Vessel Traffic Service in Townsville detected the incursion. The ship was boarded by officers from the Australian Federal Police and Australian Marine Safety Authority when it arrived in Newcastle on Saturday.