Photo: Darlin Gaitan, acting Port Commissioner
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Mar. 30, 2023
Earlier this week, it was reported that a cargo ship, HERCA-1, rammed into the Belize Barrier Reef, east of the Drowned Cayes.
The Panamerican-registered vessel, which was reportedly heading to Florida from Puerto Cortez, was spotted sitting on the reef on Monday morning when pictures began circulating on social media that alerted the public of the dire situation: a ship of large size lodged amidst the delicate living coral of the reef.
It has been reported that the incident, which took place on Sunday morning at 4:00 a.m., was the result of mechanical failure of the ship’s engine, which caused it to be driven onto the reef by easterly winds and tides.
There were reportedly 13 crew members onboard the ship, and according to reports, they have been cooperative with authorities.
On Monday, the Belize Port Authority issued a press release that assured the public that an investigation has been launched into the damage caused by the grounding incident. And on Tuesday the ship was dislodged from the reef by two tugboats.
Just prior to the removal on Tuesday, Darlin Gaitan, Acting Port Commissioner, had told a 7News reporter, “Yesterday, there was a salvage operation commenced; however, it was not successful, and so today it has reinitiated again with more resources because yesterday they didn’t have enough resources to pull the vessel off successfully, and so now they’ve been, the company has been advised to up their resources in terms of removing that vessel as soon as possible.”
One of the most worrisome issues in incidents like these usually tends to be oil spillage, but the Port Authority had indicated that the hull of the ship is still intact, so no spillage had taken place.
There have been reports, however, that some environmental damage has been observed, but the extent of that is still to be assessed by The Department of the Environment.
Gaitan told local reporters that, although investigations are still ongoing, a decision has not yet been made about whether any charges will be brought against the owners of the ship and what those charges might include.
“It will all depend because, remember, where the incident happened also appears to be an area that is not meant for that type of use [transporting cargo], so we have a user conflict situation here that needs to be clarified in order for that recommendation to happen,” said Gaitan.
In the meantime, a team comprising the Belize Port Authority, Department of the Environment, Belize Coast Guard, and Fisheries Department, is still investigating.