Ship pulled off Barrier Reef

Free at last: The ship is pulled free

A Malaysian ship stranded for 12 days on Australia's Great Barrier Reef with dangerous chemicals on board has been pulled free by tugboats.

The vessel was carrying dangerous chemicals

Environmentalists had expressed concerns about the ship's cargo and the use of explosives to blast away some of the coral trapping the boat.

Australian radio said there was no immediate sign of pollution after the 21,000-tonne vessel was refloated at high tide using four tug boats.

The Great Barrier Reef, extending almost 2,000km down Australia's north-east coast, is the world's biggest coral structure.

Aborigines

Salvage divers blew up three sections of Sudbury Reef on Sunday, which they said was necessary to allow tugs to pull the ship free.

But the moves provoked an angry reaction from Aborigines and environmental groups.

A lawyer for local Aborigines said he was considering legal action, while the World Wide Fund for Nature said other methods should have been used to dislodge the vessel.

Local Aborigines say they are the traditional owners of parts of the Great Barrier Reef - a World Heritage Site.

The incident has also prompted conservation groups to call for ships carrying dangerous cargo to be banned from the reef.

Damage

The operation to free the ship involved taking about three metres from the top of the coral outcrops to allow the tugs to get close to the freighter.

The reef is is a World Heritage Site

Queensland's officials denied there would be lasting or even serious damage to the coral.

But marine experts have said the reef will take years to recover from being crushed by the ship's weight.

The Bunga Teratai Satu was sailing from Singapore to Sydney when it ran aground near the Queensland city of Cairns.

The ship's first officer has been charged with negligence and has returned to his home in Pakistan, pending a court appearance.