By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE owners of the Brooklyn Bridge barge which was looted after running aground off Abaco will be fined $20,000 for damaging a coral reef, officials confirmed yesterday, after an environmental assessment found extensive harm to coral reefs.

The barge’s grounding became a national flashpoint after dozens of local residents in a fleet of small leisure craft looted containers from the vessel.

People forced open units and removed food, appliances, electronics, medical supplies and other goods before police intervened. The incident drew international headlines, with some organisations describing it as modern-day piracy. Trailer Bridge has said an estimated 90 percent of its containers were compromised.

Several people have since been arrested and charged, but police have said little about their efforts to go after other thieves.

Dr Rhianna Neely-Murphy, director of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP), said a team assessed the site last week.

She said DEPP has notified Trailer Bridge, the barge’s owner, of the findings. She said a meeting is expected with company representatives to determine next steps, noting that “per the law, they are responsible for any restoration and remediation activities”.

She said the affected reef remains largely functional but not untouched.

“The reef is still functioning, and a lot of it is still intact, but there is a part of it that has been damaged,” she said. “We will do our best to reattach corals that are able to be reattached, and replant corals that cannot be replanted in the same area.”

The extent of displaced marine life has not yet been determined.

Under the Environmental Planning Protection Amendment Act 2024, the spot fine for damaging coral reefs is $20,000. Dr Neely-Murphy said any additional penalties would need to be assessed separately.

The update follows weeks of pressure from environmental advocates calling for accountability, warning that the grounding threatened fragile ecosystems and the livelihoods of fishermen and tour operators.

The barge was reportedly being towed by the Southern Dawn from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when its steel line snapped in bad weather. It drifted onto a reef near Nunjack Cay in North Abaco earlier in November.

While the looting dominated public discussion, residents and environmentalists also raised alarms about the reef impact caused by the grounded vessel.

Dr Neely-Murphy said her department is working to safeguard the country’s natural resources.

On November 15, the Ministry of Energy and Transport confirmed the Brooklyn Bridge had been refloated and removed from the reef.