Hit and Run on Proselyte Reef

On Monday, I had a very angry call from the Ocean Explorers Dive Center and dive master Lucian de Lima, who told me that that over the weekend a ship had run into Proselyte reef off Philipsburg, and done a huge amount of damage to the coral. As it turns out, it wasn’t a ship but a tug probably towing a barge. Divers think the tug slowed down as it approached Great Bay, which caused the steel towing cable to sink to the bottom over the reef. When the tug accelerated, the towing cable scythed across the reef destroying three swathes of coral some thirty feet wide. No vessel should be in the vicinity of Proselyte Reef as it’s within the marine park. There is a light on the reef, it is visible in daylight, and it is marked on the chart, so you don’t even need GPS to find it. As usual, the ship failed to report the incident and legged it. It happens a lot in St. Maarten. Human nature, I guess, vessels spill oil and diesel and don’t own up. Legislation is in place to issue fines but when money is tight, there is no one to enforce it. According to the divers, the reef could be repaired, but again it takes time and money. Both are in short supply. One month from now and the coral is beyond repair and nature will have to take its course. To hear more about the damage to Proselyte Reef download the February 7th YachtBlast podcast from iTunes.