By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Abaco Chamber of Commerce yesterday urged the environment minister to intervene amid fears Bahamas Ferries’ new service is endangering the island’s “boating capital” status.

Ken Hutton, its president, told Tribune Business that the inter-island transportation provider was placing Abaco’s boating-reliant tourism economy “in jeopardy” by stirring up tremendous amounts of silt and mud when it arrives and departs Marsh Harbour to serve the Baker’s Bay project.

He spoke out as Tribune Business obtained an e-mailed letter sent by the Abaco chamber requesting “immediate assistance” from Romauld Ferreira, minister of the environment, in addressing the “absolute ruin” to Marsh Harbour’s “pristine waters” just three days after Bahamas Ferries began operations from the town’s public dock.

“We are very concerned with the initiation of a new ferry service being provided by Bahamas Ferries to carry the staff and sub-contractors to the Baker’s Bay job site from Marsh Harbour to Guana Cay,” Mr Hutton wrote in an e-mail dated February 4, 2019.

“As the boating capital of The Bahamas and host to hundreds of sailing vessels transiting through Marsh Harbour, we are shocked and appalled that in three short days the pristine waters of our harbour have been absolutely ruined by vessels that are clearly too large to operate in this shallow area.”

He added: “I’ve attached pictures taken this morning for your reference. Be advised that this happens up to 13 times per day. It is affecting the boats at anchor in the harbour, the four marinas that are located in the harbour, and the traffic and parking in and around the public dock being used. As a chamber we are requesting your immediate attention to the matter, as the longer it goes on, the more permanent the damage becomes.”

Tribune Business has seen both photos and videos that confirm a significant amount of silt is being stirred up from the harbour bottom whenever Bahamas Ferries’ vessels depart for, and arrive from, the multi-million dollar investment project on Great Guana Cay.

Mr Hutton, in an interview with this newspaper, confirmed that the Abaco chamber had sent an e-mailed letter to Mr Ferreira requesting his intervention. “Our primary concern is the fact that, several times a day, these vessels are coming in and stirring up the harbour,” he said.

“It’s turned Marsh Harbour into a soup. You could see the bottom, and when these things come in it silts up the entire harbour. They’re coming in 13 times a day. We’ve got a harbour full of sail boats. Marsh Harbour is the sail boat capital of the country. You have these people spending a lot of money to come and vacation here, and they’re immediately surrounded by these boats and vessels.

“They’re disturbing the sail boats,” Mr Hutton continued. “It’s causing havoc with the marinas. We have four marinas surrounding Marsh Harbour and none of them are happy about it. It’s not the ideal solution. These boats should not be coming into a prime tourist destination, and then there’s the traffic congestion.

“It’s affecting the hub of our tourist area in Marsh Harbour. For the last two years we’ve seen a significant increase in tourism. This could, and it is, putting it in jeopardy. I’d like to see these vessels moved out of Marsh Harbour. They do not belong in Marsh Harbour. I understand that on Saturday they had to wait for a couple of hours to offload because the tide was too low. It’s just not a workable solution.”

Mr Hutton’s and the Abaco Chamber’s letter ended with a call for Mr Ferreira to examine a matter they branded “most urgent”.

Separately, another Abaco-based source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Tribune Business that the size of Bahamas Ferries’ vessels, and the frequency with which they were using Union Jack Dock, was discouraging sail boat visitors from coming into Marsh Harbour because this was the location where they tie-up their dinghies.

As a result, they argued that Marsh Harbour businesses were being deprived of much-needed consumer spending by a key segment of Abaco’s high-end visitor base. “It’s obvious the ferry contract is not going to work the way they wanted,” the source said of Bahamas Ferries.

“They used the public dock again this morning in defiance of what the Prime Minister wanted. There’s also some problems loading and offloading when the tides are too high.”

The source added: “Our biggest fear is the traffic congestion, as there’s nowhere for those people to park. Every side street, every corner, they’ve got vehicles everywhere. It wasn’t too bad on Friday because a lot of people [Baker’s Bay employees and sub-contractors] stayed away. They turned out in full force this morning and it’s total chaos.

“I don’t know what the solution is. What they’ve got there now is infuriating the locals.”

Tribune Business reported on Monday Bahamas Ferries was said to have pledged it will not continue using Marsh Harbour’s public dock in defiance of orders issued by its third largest shareholder - the prime minister.

Dr Minnis, who will have taken no part in the company’s affairs since becoming prime minister, is listed in Bahamas Ferries’ 2017 annual returns - widely circulated on social media - as owning 305 of the company’s 5,015 ordinary shares - or just six percent.

The company’s main shareholders are the Symonette Group, the vehicle for investments made by Craig Symonette and his family, and V Shipping Ltd, which is thought to be an entity controlled by investor Peter Vlasov.

James Albury, the Abaco parliamentary secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, previously told Tribune Business that the inter-island transportation provider had promised not to persist in using Union Jack Dock - but Monday’s events suggest this pledge has yet to take effect.

He confirmed that Dr Hubert Minnis had given “a directive” that Bahamas Ferries was not to use Union Jack Dock, a public dock, for the embarkation/unloading of Baker’s Bay personnel or the berthing of its vessels, given that this would involve using the facility for a commercial purpose.

Besides the use of a public dock and the traffic congestion/parking concerns, there are allegations that Bahamas Ferries proceeded to develop a paved parking lot adjacent to Union Jack Dock without the necessary construction/planning approvals from local government.

Roscoe Thompson, head of the Marsh Harbour/Spring City township, and a member of the local district council, told Tribune Business: “We had a big objection to them coming and clearing a large property with no permits and permissions granted. That was our question. They didn’t have a permit and went straight to drilling wells and improving the land.

“I found out legally we can get a stop work order put on them under the Local Government Act. If they put any fill or tar on the property we will pursue that stop work order, petition for it to be included.

“We’re not trying to be aholes about it. We want to support local Bahamian businesses, but we want to make sure they go about it the proper way.”