Sydney - A massive Chinese ship caused "significant" damage to the famed Great Barrier Reef after smashing into its delicate corals and getting stuck for more than a week, Australian officials said on Tuesday.
Workers who surveyed the site after the Shen Neng 1 was refloated and towed away late on Monday reported a one-kilometre scar across the world heritage-listed reef, the marine park's head said.
Russell Reichelt, chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, said toxic anti-fouling paint pasted on the coal-carrier's hull was also killing corals, home to a plethora of colourful sea life.
"They have found significant scarring and coral damage they've also found quite a lot of anti-fouling (paint) spread across the reef," Reichelt told ABC public radio.
"It is a concern because it's designed to be toxic and stop things growing on ships. We've already seen observations where anti-fouling paint that's been scraped off onto the reef is killing corals in its vicinity."
An approaching storm hurried authorities into refloating the 230-metre ship - the length of two football pitches - after nightfall on Monday, by pumping compressed air into its bunkers and pulling it free using tugboats.
Officials expressed cautious optimism that the operation had been carried out without adding to the two-tonne oil spill which created a three-kilometre slick after the off-course ship crashed on April 3.
Divers were due to assess damage to the ship, which has been towed to a nearby island. The vessel, still carrying 68 000 tons of coal, had been grinding across a shoal, creating plumes of coral dust in the water.
"We're actually not out of the woods on this yet," Queensland state transport minister Rachel Nolan told ABC.
"Until this ship is repaired and out of the Great Barrier Reef, none of us will really rest easy," she said.
Australia's government has said the ship was on an illegal route through the giant reef and said it would be "throwing the book" at those responsible. - AFP