A Chinese bulker came within 200 metres of grounding in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef when a GPS unit provided false data.

A probe by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found that disaster was averted only when the pilot on the 82,300-dwt Rosco Poplar (built 2008) noticed a reef light showing red.

The 225-metre vessel, controlled by China’s Rewood Ocean Shipping Co (Rosco), was transiting Hydrographers Passage on 4 May 2022.