Australia moves to contain oil spill on Great Barrier Reef

Grounded ship's leakage is small; salvage could take weeks

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia - Workers rushed to contain an oil spill on Monday from a coal-carrying ship grounded on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, sending two tugboats to stabilize the vessel so that it would not break apart and further damage the fragile coral beneath.

Traveling at full speed of 10 mph (12 knots, 16 kph), the Chinese-registered Shen Neng 1 rammed into Douglas Shoals late Saturday, an area that has shipping restrictions in order to protect what is the world's largest coral reef and one that is listed as a World Heritage site because of its gleaming waters and environmental value as home to thousands of marine species.