导读:澳大利亚政府就六年多前一艘中国运煤船严重危害大堡礁事件与涉案中国公司达成和解。这家中国公司将支付2960万美元的罚款。
The Australian government has agreed a $29.6m settlement with the owners of a Chinese coal carrier that caused significant damage to the Great Barrier Reef more than six years ago.
澳大利亚政府就六年多前一艘中国运煤船严重危害大堡礁事件与涉案中国公司达成和解。这家中国公司将支付2960万美元的罚款。
The Shen Neng 1 hit a shoal in April 2010, leaking tonnes of heavy fuel oil.
这艘名为“神能一号”的运煤船于2010年4月撞上大堡礁的一处浅滩后，泄漏了成吨的高浓度燃油。
Conservationists have described the settlement, which is less than a third of the full clean-up cost of $105m, as "woefully inadequate".
不过，自然资源保护学者们形容这笔和解费用“远远不够”。据称，清理油污总费用约为1.05亿美元，3000万美元的和解费用，还不足三成。
The clean-up operation will begin mid next year.
清理工作将于明年年中启动。
The 230m (750 ft) ship had ground against a coral shoal for more than a kilometre, turning coral into dust.
据称这艘长约230米（750英尺）的运煤船撞上浅滩后，船底划过浅滩的长度超过一公里，将珊瑚夷为了粉末。
Shenzhen energy Transport, the firm behind the carrier, refused to accept responsibility for the damage for six years.
事发后，这艘运煤船的主人、中国企业深圳能源运输公司在过去六年里拒绝为造成的损害承担任何责任。
They argued the reef was self-healing and the company should not have to pay the bill.
该公司辩称，岛礁具有天然的自我修复功能，该公司无需为搁浅造成的损害承担任何经济责任。
On Monday, the two sides reached an out-of-court settlement.
9月19日（周一），澳大利亚政府和该公司在庭外达成和解。
The settlement showed Australia would "use every available means to pursue ship owners who are negligent in causing damage to the reef", Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said.
澳大利亚政府环境部长弗雷登伯格说，这一和解证明，澳大利亚“将利用任何可能的方式去追讨由于‘过失导致岛礁受到损害’的船主。
The funds will allow the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to remove toxic anti-fouling paint and rubble, allowing the reef to be restored.
大堡礁海洋公园部门将使用这笔和解费用来移除有毒的防垢剂涂料和垃圾，以促进岛礁能的恢复。
However, Greenpeace Australia called the settlement "disappointing".
然而澳大利亚的“绿色和平组织”称这起和解“令人失望”。
"The government has said the full clean up will cost more than $105m so to settle for such a small figure is disappointing," Greenpeace’s Pacific reef campaigner Shani Tager told news agency AFP.
该组织的塔格在接受法新社采访时说：“澳大利亚政府都说了，整个清理工作将耗费超过1.05亿美元，但就这么不疼不痒地给和解了，实在令人失望。”
