Australia to Get Tough on Foreign Ships

The Australian government will begin cracking down on foreign ships that travel outside designated shipping lanes.
Australia to Get Tough on Foreign Ships
Fuel oil leaks from the Shen Neng 1, a Chinese-registered bulk coal carrier aground in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park off the coast of central Queensland, Australia. (Maritime Safety Queensland via Getty Images)
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/98268200+AUSTRALIA.jpg" alt="Fuel oil leaks from the Shen Neng 1, a Chinese-registered bulk coal carrier aground in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park off the coast of central Queensland, Australia. (Maritime Safety Queensland via Getty Images)" title="Fuel oil leaks from the Shen Neng 1, a Chinese-registered bulk coal carrier aground in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park off the coast of central Queensland, Australia. (Maritime Safety Queensland via Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1821183"/></a>
Fuel oil leaks from the Shen Neng 1, a Chinese-registered bulk coal carrier aground in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park off the coast of central Queensland, Australia. (Maritime Safety Queensland via Getty Images)
The Australian government will begin cracking down on foreign ships that travel outside designated shipping lanes, said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Sunday.

Three men have been arrested and will be in court today, for steering the MV Mimosa into restricted waters on April 4, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The Chinese ship Shen Neng 1, which ran aground on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef last week, was traveling outside designated lanes when it crashed. However, a Maritime Safety official said that the Shen Neng 1’s route was not illegal. The Australian government demanded that the ship’s owners cover the full cost of clean up. Australian cleanup crews have pumped nearly all the 950 metric tons of fuel from aboard the Shen Neng 1.

Officials on Monday will determine if the ship can be re-floated Tuesday.