agusta 109e aid in clean up

A Chinese coal carrier in the Great Barrier Reef was off course and in a restricted zone, 15 nautical miles outside the shipping lane, when it ran aground. The 230 bulk coal carrier Sheng Neng 1 ran aground on the reef about 70km east of Great Keppel Island on 3 April 2010.

The vessel, which was carrying about 65,000 tonnes of coal from Gladstone, had 950 tonnes of oil on board. The vessel had hit the reef at full speed.

Premier of Queensland Anna Bligh said, specialised crews could take "several weeks" to salvage the ship once it was able to be moved.

Since the incident, Fergus Ponder (Head of Civilian School) has been flying with the team from Maritime Safety Queensland in the Agusta 109E. Fergus is still flying there.