How Are Oil Spills Cleaned? On Monday, workers in Australia
rushed to contain an oil spill from a grounded ship in the Great
Barrier Reef. The Chinese-registered Shen Neng 1 ship was
carrying 72,000 tons (65,000 metric tons) of coal, and was
loaded with 1,000 tons (950 metric tons) of fuel when it
collided into the Douglas Shoals region of the coral reef late
Saturday. Immediate efforts are being made to stabilize the
damaged vessel, isolate the oil, and prevent further damage to
the fragile coral. A boom will be placed around the ship to
contain the oil leaking from its hull. According to Marine
Safety Queensland, about two tons of oil has already spilled
into the water. The oil slick is approximately 300 feet (91
meters) wide and stretches close to two miles (3.2 km),
according to news reports. Oil spills occur when crude oil is
accidentally released into a body of water by an oil tanker,
refinery, storage facility, underwater pipeline or offshore oil-
drilling rig. Oil spills can be extremely hazardous and