CAYE CAULKER, Belize District, Fri. June 12, 2020– A barge carrying a truck, an excavator and steel beams for a construction site in Caye Chapel sank in the seas on Tuesday morning not far from Caye Caulker. Luckily, no one was hurt.

The tugboat that was pulling the barge was being driven at the time by boat captain Alex Underwood of Belize City.

The Port Authority of Belize said that the truck and the excavator have been recovered from the sea, but the barge remains under water, and it will not be removed until after an investigation is conducted.

The Port Authority said that the boat captain and the owner of the barge have been asked to visit the Port Authority to make a written report and to answer questions, so that a proper investigation can be carried out to ascertain what led to the sinking of the barge.

The Department of the Environment has also begun their independent investigation and have travelled to the scene of the sinking.

The law obligates the Port Commissioner to make inquiries into shipwrecks or other accidents involving ships.

However, it is the responsibility of the master of the vessel to immediately report all marine casualties/incidents to the Belize Port Authority.

(Please note that feature photo is not the actual image of the sunken barge.)