Late word to Amandala tonight is that a Bermudan-flagged yacht, the Azteca, is anchored on a cliff of the Barrier Reef in fifteen feet of water, just east of downtown San Pedro and three miles north of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
San Pedro police has detained the captain of the yacht, Salvador Villeraz Eckart, 49, of Cancun, Mexico.
Our colleagues at the San Pedro Sun tell Amandala that the yacht, which also flies the Union Jack of Great Britain, was experiencing problems early this morning with a rope caught up in its propellers as it prepared to dock at San Pedro.
The crew, according to captain Eckart, was forced to shut down the engine and throw the anchor overboard to avoid crashing into the reef.
It is not known where the vessel was coming from, nor howmany passengers and crew it had, but what is certain is that a large section of the reef was affected and a large area of coral damaged.
The Department of the Environment has sent out a team to the area to assess the damage. Pending that team’s report, the Azteca stays where it is, as do its passengers and crew.
Eckart must give his written commitment to local authorities that he will not leave before proceedings are begun against him; once the report is completed and filed with the relevant authorities, including police, the boat will be towed to the Port in Belize City.
Even though full assessment will be led by the Port Authority and Fisheries Department, the DOE’s Chief Environmental Officer, Martin Alegria, told Amandala tonight that the Azteca accident is slightly different from that of the Dutch cargo ship, Westerhaven, and the Antiguan Caribe Mariner. Both of those accidents were caused by the ships themselves, while in this case the yacht apparently tried its hardest to avoid damaging the reef.
Nevertheless, charges will be laid as per the directive of the Port Authority and Fisheries Department, which are responsible for assessing the damages to the reef caused by the yacht.
In January, authorities had detained the Westerhaven after her captain rammed the Barrier Reef south of English Caye. That case went to court in February and is currently adjourned.
Last November the Caribe Mariner, captained by Whitman Gentle, similarly ran aground on the Reef. Gentle was picked up in February and charged; his case is adjourned until April 23.