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Salvage crews began pumping fuel oil from the stricken coal carrier on Australia's Great Barrier Reef onto another barge today, following the vessel's arrival from the port of Gladstone.

Patrick Quirk, general manager of Maritime Safety Queensland, said inflatable booms had been put in place around the vessels to contain any oil that may spill during the procedure.

"This is a delicate operation that will take days, not hours. We're not going to rush into this operation. We want to manage the risk and manage it closely," Quirk said in a statement.

The 755 foot (230 metre) Chinese bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 left the Port of Gladstone last week carrying around 975 tonnes of fuel oil and 65,000 metric tons of coal when it crashed onto Douglas Shoal, a protected area of the world's largest coral reef.

Coral tore through one part of the ship, leading to around three tonnes of fuel oil leaking from a ruptured fuel tank.

The resulting oil slick, which was reported to have stretched for approximately three kilometres, was later dispersed using chemicals.

The 50-metre bunker barge Larcom left the port of Gladstone yesterday and salvage crews began moving fuel oil from the damaged coal carrier onto the barge earlier today. The vessel has a total storage capacity of 1,500 tonnes of oil.

Before the Larcom's arrival, heavy fuel oil had been pumped from damaged tanks on the bottom of the coal carrier into secure ones at the top of the hull in preparation for the next stage of the salvage operation.

The owners of Shen Neng 1, Shenzen Energy Transport, said today that they were cooperating with the investigation.

The company said the vessel had been traveling through a legal channel when it inexplicably failed to turn eastward to avoid Douglas Shoal.

"Shenzhen Energy Transport recognizes the importance of the Great Barrier Reef and is deeply concerned to avoid endangering lives or damaging the environment," Hu Wei, chief of shipping and development, said in a statement.