The master and the chief-officer of a Chinese coal carrier, which ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, were released on bail by an Australian court on Thursday.

Australian police arrested the two Chinese nationals late on Wednesday and charged them with liability for vessel causing damage in Marine Park.

Jichang Wang and Xuegang Wang are scheduled to appear in court again on June 9th for a hearing.

Australian federal police said that a joint investigation with marine authorities showed that the Shen Neng 1 failed to turn a waypoint required by the intended course of the ship.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says fatigue may have been a contributing factor to the grounding.

[Martin Dolan, Chief Commissioner, Australian Transport Safety Bureau]: (English)
"He was the one principally responsible for managing the loading in Gladstone so had a very busy time and seemed to have had about two-and-a-half hours of broken sleep in the previous 37 hours.”

Dolan says a crucial change of course was not made amidst a whole range of things going on aboard the freighter.

[Martin Dolan, Chief Commissioner, Australian Transport Safety Bureau]: (English)
"This is a classic for the sorts of investigations we do, there is no single contributing factor, there is a range of things that came together that led to the grounding of this vessel.”

Video footage filmed by divers show a long track carved on the reef on the shoal by the Shen Neng 1.

[Ann Bligh, Queensland Premier]: (English)
"They have put that reef in danger and at risk and they deserved to feel the full force of the law and that's what's happening right now.”

Environmentalists estimate it will take 10 to 20 years for the damaged reef to recover.