Australia to permit dredge dumping near Barrier Reef for world's biggest coal port

The dumping permit clears the way for a major expansion of the port of Abbot Point for two Indian firms and Australian billionaire miner Gina Rinehart, who together have $16 billion (£8.5bn) worth of coal projects in the untapped, inland Galilee Basin.Environmentalists, scientists and tourist operators had fought the plan, which they fear will harm delicate corals and seagrasses and potentially double the ship traffic through the World Heritage marine park.The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, an independent government agency charged with protecting the reef, acknowledged the concerns, but said expanding Abbot Point would require much less dredging than other port options."It's important to note the sea floor of the approved disposal area consists of sand, silt and clay and does not contain coral reefs or seagrass beds," the marine park authority's chairman, Russell Reichert, said in a statement.The permit to dump 3 million cubic metres of mud within the marine park could place at risk the World Heritage-listing of the Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's top tourist attractions generating an estimated $5.7 billion (£3bn).UNESCO, which awarded the reef its heritage listing, last year postponed a decision to June 2014 on whether to put the Great Barrier Reef on its "in danger" list or even cancel its World Heritage listing. It is awaiting a report from the national government on steps taken to address its concerns.The permit allows North Queensland Bulk Ports Corp to dump dredged material in the reef marine park to deepen Abbot Point for two terminals planned by Adani Enterprises and GVK-Hancock, a joint venture between India's GVK conglomerate and Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting, which have long term plans to export 120 million tonnes a year of coal all together.The marine park authority imposed strict conditions on the dumping permit, including no environmental, cultural or heritage damage to areas beyond 12 miles from the disposal site, and urged the ports corporation to consider other dump sites.If all the dredged material were dumped on land, the pile would be bigger than the Great Pyramid of Giza.Even with the permit, it's unclear how soon the dredging will go ahead, as Adani and GVK-Hancock's plans have been delayed amid funding challenges in the face of sliding coal prices and China's efforts to cut coal use to battle smog."This approval is very important for them to achieve financial close for their projects," said a spokeswoman for North Queensland Bulk Ports, referring to GVK-Hancock and Adani(telegraph.co.uk)ANN.Az