2010-04-09 01:10

BEIJING - China expressed its concerns Thursday about a Chinese coal ship that ran aground off the eastern coast of Australia.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told a regular press briefing China is paying close attention to the incident and has taken immediate action to deal with it.

China is concerned an oil spill may pollute Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Jiang said, adding that the related shipping company and Australian authorities should enhance cooperation to appropriately address the issue.

Jiang said China's embassy in Australia contacted local authorities and urged them to ensure the crew's safety.

Australia has taken rescue measures in time, she said, noting that the body of the ship has been kept stable and the crew are safe.

The Chinese-owned, 230m-long bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground about 70 km east of Great Keppel Island shortly after 05:00 pm local time on Saturday. About two tonnes of fuel oil have spilled, creating a slick about 3 km long and 100 meters wide.

The vessel, carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 65,000 tonnes of coal, was bound for China.