A YEAR after a barge and tugboat ran aground in a protected marine area here, community members have once again taken matters into their own hands, launching a second volunteer-led cleanup this week amid growing outrage over the government’s failure to remove the wreckage.

The Perry Institute for Marine Science (PIMS), which has led coral restoration efforts across The Bahamas, mobilised a coalition of divers, residents, and conservation groups to clear reef-choking debris from the site. The effort follows months of inaction as legal wrangling between private companies stalled official salvage operations.

In March 2024, a tug and barge transporting sand and stones for the Baker’s Bay development on Great Guana Cay ran aground on the reef. Supreme Court filings reveal that Executive Marine Management Services subcontracted the vessel from FowlCo Maritime and Project Services. Since then, responsibility for the wreck’s removal has become entangled in a $5 million lawsuit, leaving the abandoned equipment to deteriorate in place.

“The owners remain conspicuously absent, and this reef continues to suffer,” said Denise Mizell, PIMS’ Abaco programme manager, in a statement. “We aren’t a salvage company, but we’re doing what we can.”

Divers participating in the cleanup reported alarming damage to the reef. “We’re seeing corals buried under ten feet of sand that wasn’t there before,” one diver said. “Charted depths of sixteen feet have been reduced to six.” Debris recovered this week included ropes, plastic, and large metal frames that had to be manually hauled to support boats.

The situation poses not only ecological but also public safety risks. Conservationists warn that entangled lines and drifting debris threaten marine mammals, including dolphins and whales. “These line nets are a real entanglement danger,” said Dr Charlotte Dunn, president of the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation.

Despite the park’s protected status, efforts to remove the grounded vessels have stalled. The Department of Marine Resources formally ordered the barge’s removal last year, but court filings suggest no compliance has followed. Meanwhile, reef systems in the area — critical for local fisheries and tourism — continue to degrade.

PIMS said the latest cleanup was only possible due to donated equipment, volunteer manpower, and assistance from local partners like Bahamas National Trust, Friends of the Environment, Dive Guana, and G&L Ferry. Scuba tanks were loaned, boats volunteered, and a medic stood by as divers worked for hours removing wreckage.

The Perry Institute stressed that only a full salvage operation — requiring cranes, heavy-lift vessels, and significant funding — can prevent irreversible harm to the reef.

“This is no longer just a legal or logistical issue. It’s a crisis of responsibility,” said one volunteer. “How can something like this remain untouched for a year in a national park?”