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Action IP4: Remove macro-waste
Action IP5: Monitor and respond to anthropogenic discharges
The Christmas celebrations were somewhat disrupted in the Saint Martin nature reserve, with the beaching of a charter catamaran on the reefs of Grandes Cayes around noon on December 24th. The skipper, who was sailing alone, reported a mechanical failure on his 54-foot (16.4 meters) Bali catamaran while en route from Antigua to Anse Marcel marina. The reserve management team observed that the boat had crossed the first coral barrier and was resting on the second row. An initial inspection dive revealed that both propellers had disappeared, as well as both keel fins, and that there was a water ingress. It quickly became evident that removal by towing from the land was the only possible solution. The partner company and owner of the vessel collaborated with specialized companies, in consultation with the manager, to develop a methodology conducive to the rapid removal of the wreck, in order to limit the impacts on the coral barrier and avoid further pollution. The planned operations were submitted and validated by the local DEAL services, and AGRNSM agents were on-site to ensure the proper conduct of the work. Once the fuel was pumped out of the tanks, the wreck could be towed ashore and the boat demasted. Continuous guarding prevented looting of the ship. At the end of the year, the secured and consolidated wreck was relaunched on a nearby and suitable area to be towed to a pollution removal and deconstruction yard. Exchanges will take place at the beginning of 2024 to establish the procedure to ensure the repair of the terrestrial and marine environments successively impacted by the accident and the evacuation of the wreck. The environmental damage has already been assessed and documented by the management teams with the support of the DEAL services in Saint Martin.
