The owners of Shen Neng 1.

The owners of Shen Neng 1, a Chinese coal carrier which ran aground and caused significant damage

to the Great Barrier Reef more than six years ago, have agreed to pay $35 million to the Australian Government.

The settlement is less than a third of what the Commonwealth was seeking in the Federal Court from the ship's owner, Shenzhen Energy Transport Co, for remediation costs.
The 225-metre long carrier carved a 2.2 kilometre-long, 400,000-square-metre scar in and around Douglas Shoal in April 2010, about 120 kilometres east of Rockhampton.
The grounding also damaged one of the ship's fuel tanks, which left a four-kilometre trail of heavy fuel oil.
The terms of settlement mean $35 million will be paid to the Australian Government for the cost of removing polluted rubble.
A further $4.3 million will be paid to cover costs incurred by the Government in the immediate aftermath of the grounding.
Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said the clean-up operation would begin mid next year.
"[This will allow] the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to initiate field operations to remove toxic anti-fouling paint and rubble, which will enable the restoration of the natural ecological processes of the reef," he said.
"The anti-fouling paint [that peeled off the ship when it grounded] at Douglas Shoal contains a highly toxic component known as tributyltin, which is now banned from use.
"The paint also contains copper and zinc. Impacts to marine life on the seafloor could potentially last for many decades if the toxic anti-fouling paint remains in place."
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority chairman Russell Reichelt said it was unsatisfactory it has taken more than six years to reach a settlement, but the payment was good news for the reef's ecosystem.
"Since the grounding, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has insisted that Douglas Shoal must be repaired to allow the naturally resilient corals in that area to recover," he said.