Oil spill threatens world heritage coral atoll

 Sydney: An oil spill from a cargo ship that ran aground in the Solomon Islands has sparked fears of an environmental disaster in the Pacific, threatening a nearby world heritage site which is also home to one of the largest raised coral atolls in the world.
The bulk carrier, Solomon Trader, which was carrying 700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and a cargo of bauxite, remained aground on Friday, over three weeks after it got stuck in the Kangava Bay on the island and caused the leakage, reports Efe news. The ship went aground on Feb 5 on the remote island of Rennell during the passage of cyclone Oma, a storm system which lingered over the region for weeks. “The oil spans 5 to 6 km across the shore and is moving towards the adjacent world heritage area,” Foreign Affairs Department said.