Chinese ship captain to face court in Australia for traveling without pilot boat

The captain of a Chinese coal ship is set to face court in Newcastle, Australia, on Monday, after being arrested for sailing through the Great Barrier Reef without a pilot ship.

The man, believed to be a Taiwanese national surnamed Lu, will plead guilty to being the master of a ship without a pilot in a marine park, an offense that carries a maximum fine of nearly 66, 000 U.S. dollars.

The ship, a 288-meter-long bulk carrier named China Steel Developer, is alleged to have to have sailed through Hydrographers Passage without a pilot boat, something which is required under Australian law for a ship to move through the route.

Around 4,000 ships traverse the paths through the Great Barrier Reef marine park every year.