By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

LOCAL environmental watchdogs say they want the government’s investigation into the alleged damage to coral and fishing grounds by cruise ships to be “quick” and “public”.

Groups reEarth and Save the Bays made the appeal yesterday, following a joint statement from Minister of Agriculture Michael Pintard and Minister of the Environment Romauld Ferreira that government dive teams ware being dispatched to investigate damage to marine life and the seabed from ships sheltering in Bahamian waters near the Berry Islands.

Sam Duncombe, speaking on behalf of the groups, said even with the cruise ship industry closed, the Bahamian people and marine environment continue to suffer.

“Even with the cruise industry shut down, the environment of The Bahamas is being degraded and its people harmed,” Ms Duncombe said in a statement yesterday. “We are now part of a global network of citizen groups in countries worldwide demanding an end to ‘business as usual’. In the Bahamas, we are calling for an environmental impact assessment so we can make smart decisions about how to restart the industry in the coming years.

“We support the pledge last week of Prime Minister Minnis to ‘build back better’ after Dorian and hopefully now after COVID, but we must not do so blindly. Let’s take six months, employ the best local and international experts, share initial findings, and consult with the public. Then the government can chart a course towards an economic recovery that it is sustainable,” she added.

In her statement, Ms Duncombe said local fishermen describe the damage as equivalent to a “bulldozer” driving across the ocean floor.

According to Ms Duncombe, on September 4, Eric Carey, executive director of the Bahamas National Trust, received a voice note from fishermen in the Berry Islands reporting significant damage to the seafloor from cruise ships’ massive anchors and chains dragging across the seabed.

Two miles west of Little Stirrup renamed Coco Cay, a private cruise port, there are 15-18 cruise ships anchored in Bahamian waters spaced two to three miles apart, the fishermen have said, adding the anchors are dragging along the seafloor and the ships have to be repositioned, she said.

“The anchors are totally destroying the fishing grounds, and dragging through the coral. The chains are dragging coral and mountains of sand, ripping up the shoals and bars, totally devastating the fishing area... It looks like someone was driving a bulldozer across the seafloor,” the statement alleged.

On Sunday the ministers said an initial dive, while limited in scope, showed “significant damage” to the marine environment allegedly caused by ship anchors.

The statement said a team is urgently putting together a comprehensive assessment to determine the extent of the damage and quantify the value of the damage and the potential remediation costs. Steps are also being taken, the ministers said, to determine gaps that existed in standard operating procedures, policies or legislation that allowed this situation to occur and engage those responsible so that they take corrective actions.

The statement noted that over the last few days the ministries responsible for marine resources and the environment were made aware of possible damage to the marine environment due to vessels sheltering in Bahamian territory.

“The alarming claims prompted various government ministries and agencies to meet, discuss and determine the accuracy of the claims and to formulate an emergency plan of action in the event such claims were accurate,” the ministers said.

The statement stressed that all vessels sheltering in Bahamian waters are “obliged to anchor, operate and navigate in a manner in all respects safe and in all respects compliant with all local laws and regulations, including safety and environmental regulations.”

It added: “This extends to discharges of any kind, to the avoidance of any protected or restricted areas, and to the avoidance of damages to any sensitive commercial and environmental resources including reefs.

“We are engaging in more detailed enquiries of all vessels sheltering in our waters regarding their anchorage locations and practices. Furthermore, divers from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Department of the Environment have been dispatched to carry out our own anchorage site assessments.

“The initial dive, which was limited in scope, clearly showed significant damage to marine assets allegedly caused by anchors of vessels anchoring in the area. These initial findings necessitate a comprehensive assessment of much of the area between the Berry Islands and Bimini.

“It is well established that while in Bahamian waters, sheltering ships must at all times anchor safely to protect life and the environment. This requires, by international safe practice: sufficient depth of water to provide a generous margin for vessel safety; sufficient distance between each vessel’s anchorage to assure that the ships cannot interfere with each other; sufficient length of anchor chain along the sea bottom to assure a proper angle of holding force to keep the ship safely in place —this has some localised effect on the seabed, but is not permitted to impact essential marine resources; and sufficient distance from any designated essential marine resource.”

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown of active cruise operations, cruise ships have been allowed to shelter in Bahamian waters.