EMERGENCY boats have been dispatched to assist a cargo ship which has broken down off Cairns amid fears it will run aground near the Great Barrier Reef.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said they had sent an emergency towage vessel to the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier ID Integrity, which suffered an engine failure on Friday night (May 18) and is currently drifting towards the Shark and Vema Reefs.
Australian Reef Pilots CEO Simon Meyjes said satellite data showed that at the vessel's current speed, it was possible it could run aground.
"It's drifting at between 3 and 4 knots and she's approximately 20 miles east of Shark Reef at the moment," he said.
"At its current rate and direction of drift could possibly go aground sometime around 8pm or 9pm tonight if they can't get the main engine going or they can't get an emergency response vessel to it."
The owners of the vessel have also sent two tugs to assist the ship, as the crew attempts to fix the engine on scene.
The first tug is expected to reach the ID Integrity tomorrow morning (May 20).
Mr Meyjes said it was "difficult to predict" what would happen if the ship ran aground.
In 2010 the bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, causing a three-kilometre oil slick and huge environmental damage.
Last year, the MV Rena ran aground near New Zealand and cracked in two, with the event named as the country's worst ever maritime environmental disaster.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/cargo-ship-id-integrity-breaks-down-off-great-barrier-reef/story-e6frfkvr-1226360948970#ixzz1vIz9zsfd
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