By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

ABACO residents claim a “drifting” sand barge off Leisure Lee is threatening reefs and coastlines at the height of hurricane season — but acting Port Controller Senior Commander Berne Wright says the vessel is anchored, crewed and awaiting a tug.

Environmental advocates and locals say the barge, identified as the Inagua Sea, has been shifting since it was first reported in February and remains loaded with sand and other materials, raising the risk of pollution and damage if storms push it ashore, with potential harm to reefs, mangroves, tourism assets and nearby communities.

Olivia Patterson, managing director of the non-profit organisation Friends of the Environment, said her group contacted the Port Department earlier this month to ensure officials were aware of the situation. “Our communities rely on healthy ecosystems to support livelihoods, whether through fishing, tourism or recreation,” Ms Patterson said. “The Inagua Sea threatens those securities. During hurricane season, we can be a week away from a storm at any moment. As the vessel has been observed drifting daily, it would be important to move it to a secure location as soon as possible.”

Drone footage seen by The Tribune shows the barge changing position repeatedly. Residents say the movement underscores the need for swift intervention before the vessel grounds on sensitive areas. Blair Hastedt, a 19-year-old Treasure Cay resident who has monitored the barge since February, said: “At first I thought it was a passing fuel tanker. When I boarded it, I saw paperwork, furniture and all sorts of debris left inside. It is essentially a floating hazard. The hull is badly rusted with holes in the bow and stern doors, and if she hits the shore, she is going to fall apart. We will be picking up debris for generations.”

Images and videos of the vessel have circulated in local social media groups since August. Mr Wright acknowledged residents’ alerts on September 10, saying the matter was under review but offering no timeline. He later told The Tribune the Inagua Sea was not abandoned, is at anchor with a crew on board and is waiting on a tug for removal, reiterating that the matter is being addressed.

Ms Patterson also flagged a separate case in the protected Fowl Cays National Park, where a tug and barge that ran aground more than a year ago remain in place despite repeated removal attempts, continuing to damage endangered corals. Environmentalists say storm-driven movement has worsened the destruction, while calls for enforcement have gone unanswered. On that case, Sr Cmdr Wright said the responsible party had made several unsuccessful attempts to remove the vessel and that the matter is in litigation, adding he could not comment further.

Despite assurances, residents say no concrete plan or timetable has been communicated for either matter. “We hear it is being addressed, but that is all,” Mr Hastedt said of the Inagua Sea. “Meanwhile, it continues to drift.”

Photographs reviewed by The Tribune from aboard the Inagua Sea show intact navigation equipment, manuals, living quarters, rusted machinery, and flooded compartments. Environmental advocates warn fuel, oils, and other materials left on board would compound the damage if the vessel were to run aground.

“This is about prevention,” Ms Patterson said. “If it comes ashore and breaks apart, the environmental damage would be far worse than the cost of removing it now.”