Mindless Reef Destruction

[mikeyjoe]

What a damn shame.....

We'll be there next month - I guess we'll see the results of this crime first hand.

Let's get Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Society on the case - that tin can will be on the bottom in no time, hopefully within recreational diving limits!

 

[gvre]

Sorry to hear that more damage has been done to this delicate slice of sea life. We were there 2 weeks ago and having dove over 13 Islands in the Caribbean along with over 10 in the South Pacific we were shocked to see the portions of the reef dying from run off from development. It's sad to think of the centuries it took for the coral to build and it's sad to think how long or if ever it will recover.

 

[Roatan Marine Park]

The Roatan Marine Park has been working with West End Divers dive shop to document the damage caused by the anchor. Staff trained in Coral Reef CSI and Dive Instructors are currently making surverys of the damaged area, and intend to present their finding to the local authorities.

On the day in question, when it was reported to us that a boat large boat wished to anchor within the Park, we immediately responded by sending one of patrol boats to inform them that it is illegal to anchor on the reef. There are witnesses who can vouch that the captain dismissed our advice and never-the-less weighed anchor. RMP does not have the legal power to arrest and or confiscate a vessel this size.

The Park provides moorings for visiting yachts, but clearly nothing adequate to hold a boat of this size due to the high cost of this type of mooring.

Last year, Mexican billionaire Carols Slim Helu visited Roatan on a mega yacht for a few days. The captain of the vessel had hoped to anchor in West Bay and contacted the Marine Park and other authorities regarding the matter. Several island representatives were taken on a helicopter to survey the area and corroborate it would be impossible for a vessel that size to anchor within the Park. The captain agreed on the matter and took the boat elsewhere.

We hope that by working with the Municipality of Roatan, ZOLITUR and BICA, we will be able to present a solid case to the Honduran Government who will be able to follow up on the matter.

We would like to thank all those that have showed interest in the matter and hope that a solution can be found very soon.

Working for the reef
Roatan Marine Park

 

[CheddarChick]

How nice to hear at least something has been recognized by the Marine Park...

 

[Doc]

Here's a picture of the ship, Mayan Princess (formerly the Project Safari), all 305 feet and 4200 tons of her.

Monaco Yachts ? Home News

aint the internet wunnerful?

 

[mrlipis]

Here is a link to Media Relations with Alberto's company. This company is in an environmental sensitive business and would not like the bad press. This needs to have some Mexican press involved.
I am appalled to read that the captain was confronted on the inability to anchor in the marine park and continued to do so.

Industrias Peñoles > Contact Us

 

[mrlipis]

I hate to see a thread like this die. Would like to hear from the Marine park and any new developments. How about pressuring the Mexican Ambassador to Honduras? This a$$ hole captain has no respect for the oceans and if he hasn't already, will do it again. Accidents are one thing but a blatant disregard for another countries environment is another. I'll bet if this happened in Cozumel there would be immediate repercussions.

 

[JonKranhouse]

The link to send a message to penoles.com is not functioning on their server.
But their investor-relations page has three e-mail addresses.
I just sent the following message to all three.
I suggest more SBrs do so. As a publicly traded company, they are sensitive to publicized criticisms. Let's hope they do the right thing.

Francisco Corona Francisco_Corona@penoles.com.mx

Karina Acosta Karina_Acosta@penoles.com.mx

Ana Zarate Ana_Zarate@penoles.com.mx

--
Hello,

During the week of March 12th 2009 Mr. Bailleres' yacht, the Mayan Queen, destroyed part of a reef in Roatan - a swath 5M x 200M was gouged by the ship's anchor, within a PROTECTED MARINE PARK where ships of the Mayan Queen's size are prohibited from anchoring. This event has been discussed around the world on various scuba diving web forums, but there has been no response from your company about mitigating the damage.

PLEASE release a statement to confirm that Mr. Bailleres will fund repairs to the damaged reef. Similar reef-rebuilding projects have succeeded after damage was caused by cruise-ships.

If your company ignores this matter, you can be assured that recreational divers around the world will not forget. Do not underestimate the power of instant global communication via the Internet to reduce Mr.Bailleres' prestige, influence and respectability, if he chooses not to take responsibility for this unfortunate occurrence.

STATEMENT FROM THE ROATAN MARINE PARK AUTHORITIES:
"On the day in question, when it was reported to us that a boat large boat wished to anchor within the Park, we immediately responded by sending one of patrol boats to inform them that it is illegal to anchor on the reef. There are witnesses who can vouch that the captain dismissed our advice and never-the-less weighed anchor. RMP does not have the legal power to arrest and or confiscate a vessel this size."

Thank you,
Jon Kranhouse
HydroOptix LLC
-----

 

[Doc]

In Belize... about 90 miles NW a few days later:

Damage to Barrier Reef Belize by Luxury Yacht
Posted by: Cindy on Apr 13, 2009 AD - 08:40 AM

A large three story, luxury yacht was impounded and it's captain detained after anchoring on the reef close to San pedro town. The "Azteca" dropped it's anchors close to the reef and tour operators immediately contacted Hol Chan Marine Reserve who then contacted the relevant authorities...

Forty-nine year old Salvador Villeras Eckart who resides in Cancun, Mexico and is the captain of the ship, was detained when law enforcement officers including members from the Department of Environment (DOE), San Pedro Police, Immigration, Customs and The Belize Coast Guard were dispatched to the area.

According to Ekhart, the ship was heading in to Belizean waters when his propellers were caught up with rope. The engine automatically shut down and the vessel turned to the reef. A decision was made to use the anchors in the hope of bringing the vessel to a stop, but the anchors ripped through a large area of the coral reef before stopping, and then it continued to move along the reef causing further damage to it.

Martin Alegria, Chief Environmentalist in the Department of Environment (DOE), said that a prohibition to sail order had been placed on the "Azteca" after it was taken to Port Authority Headquarters in Belize City and will remain grounded until the issue is settled. DOE sent a team of technicians to assess the damage caused to the reef by the ship and to calculate the monetary costs. If the owner of the vessel, believed (but unconfirmed) to be Ricardo BenjamùÏ Salinas Pliego, considered one of the worldÃÔ richest men, refuses to settle in full the case will be taken to court.

Source: SanPedroSun.net

 

[mrlipis]

Good stuff gentleman. Power in numbers. Jon, thanks for those links. They just got an ear full, or would it be an eye full, from me.
I wonder how the Honduran government would respond if I drove my car through the walls of a shopping center in downtown French Harbor......INTENTIONALLY!