Reefed Coal Ship Could Have Been Taking A Shortcut

The Shen Neng 1, a Chinese coal ship that is now smashed, immobile, and leaking oil off the coast of Queensland, Australia, looks to have been cutting a corner to save time and money.

Investigators believe that the ship, which was 15 km off course when it crashed into a piece of the Great Barrier Reef, was attempting to travel through an illegal but not uncommonly used channel when it crashed.

Queensland authorities haven't yet publicly discussed the reasons for the ship's stray from the legal shipping lane. They continue to be focused instead on preventing a "catastrophic break-up of the ship."