The Amigos Wreck is a barge similar to this and yes it has attracted healthy marine life although it has shifted since its sinking as its quite small at 60ft.
Gaz
OFFICIALS FIGHT TO REMOVE BARGE THAT IS STUCK ON REEF
March 12, 2010
There is a barge lodged on the reef near Ambergris Caye. The barge is estimated to be 30 feet by 23 feet in size and is currently stuck on the reef some eight miles north of San Pedro Town near Blue Reef Resort. With the wave actions, the barge turned upside down and lodged itself where it remains tonight. Authorities believe that it happened sometime during the course of last night since residents travelling in the area, state that the vessel was not there yesterday. Port Authority, Coast Guard and the Department of the Environment has been on the scene since morning investigating the incident. Earl Valerio is the Head of the Port Authority Office in San Pedro Town and told us more.
Earl Valerio; Head, Port Authority Office
"We were trying to get it off the reef. We are trying to separate the sections of the barge because it has three sections. They have cut some of the metal that holds the barge together; there was a section that was under water. It was cut with a hag saw. It looks like it floated in because it is sitting firmly on the reef and there are some cuts on the top part of the barge. It has no markings on it. The barges in Belize are marked; they have some markings with numbers and sometimes the name of the mother ship on them but that barge has no marking on it. We are only speculating but maybe it broke away from a bigger convoy and then floated into Belize. It is highly unlikely that it belongs to a Belizean because where it is lodged right now it seems as though it floated out from the high seas and landed directly on the reef."
The barge has no markings and authorities believe that it is a part of a larger vessel that may have drifted in the open waters outside of Ambergris Caye. Authorities are working in dismantling then removing the barge before it causes more damage to the reef.
LoveFMI was there yesterday, what a mess its making of the reef!
Wrecks are used in making artificial reef when there is no reef...We have reef and the wrecks just damage what we have.
sinking programs are not beneficial in Belize. Storms move them around and they damage the real reef. Thats what I learned from the Marine Reserve officer.
A barge is lodged on Belize’s reef off Ambergris Caye tonight. The 30 by 23 foot barge is stuck on an area of the reef 8 miles north of San Pedro Town. No one knows how it got there or who owns it but it was discovered yesterday afternoon. It most likely floated into Belize’s territorial waters and ran into the reef after which furious waves flipped it and it landed on the reef. The Port Authority, Coast Guard, and Department of Environment responded this morning. Ports Commissioner John Flowers told us via phone that the priority is removing the vessel from the reef. He told us how they plan to do it.
John Flowers, Ports Commissioner
“We are trying to utilize the weather we have, the weather is pretty
good, the seas are flat, and so we are trying to make haste to use this window
of opportunity to remove the barge off the reef. This barge is actually in three
sections of 10 feet by 23 feet. These sections are put together so the total
sixes is 30 by 23. If we were able to break it down into the three sections
of 10 by 23 we would be able to move it easily and that is what we intend to
do, break it back down into sections and remove it from the reef.”
Keith Swift,
“Any idea where this barge came from?”
John Flowers,
“At this moment no, we haven’t been able to establish that.
We know it is not a barge from one of the local companies. It probably broke
loose from a tug somewhere in the open Caribbean seas and with the weather condition
and the seas it drifted into our waters. We hope that after we get the barge
under safe shelter, after it is off the reef, we will be able to find some identification
mark on it where we could probably do contact tracing.”
[Pictures Courtesy: San Pedro Sun.] When we spoke to the Ports Commissioner late this evening, he told us the barge is still on the reef but efforts will continue tomorrow to remove it. He noted that it is a slow process. Once removed it is the Department of Environment that will step in to assess the damage.
Channel 7With the wave action, the barge turned upside down and lodged itself where it remains. This they believe happened sometime during the course of the night since residents traversing that area, state that the vessel was not there yesterday.It is now the Port Commissioner's decision as to what to do with the vessel. Port Authority believes that with the assistance of the Department of Environment, the barge can be broken down and removed before more damage to the environment can be done.
Also its real jagged on the reef and most likely even if you could get them under they would be torn and deflate.
Tough situation they are in
Gaz
Why leave it where it is, designate it an "island" and develop it... make it the shape of a palm tree to something? Plenty of space for a dozen-odd condos and you already have a built in cistern!!! All ya need is a bit of sand here, paint there, offer some attractive pre-construction pricing and you'd be all set!!!
Welcome home.
We need a photo of a cute couple under some tall coconut trees holding hands walking down the beach with 2.5 children.
Own your own little piece of paradise in the rain forest!
Good high ground,
throw in some Macaws flying by.
Ambergris Today got a call late in the afternoon at about 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 11 about a barge stuck on the reef. We set to investigate the matter and upon arriving on site, 8 miles north of San Pedro Town (close to Blue Reef Resort), we discovered that barge had flipped over and was lying on top of the coral reef.
Ambergris Today was first on site and was quick to contact the proper authorities to follow up on the matter before more damage was done to the coral reef. Speculations are that the barge was being tugged by another vessel outside the reef in open waters and for some reason was cut loose, drifting towards Ambergris Caye. Upon hitting the reef, it flipped over and lodged itself on the reef. There were no signs of other vessels in the area at the time or personnel who could have been on the barge.
On Friday, March 12, members of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve along with officers of the Belize Port Authority, the Belize Coast Guard and The Department of Environment were at the scene carrying out their investigations. Speculations are that the barge is not Belizean owned as all barges in Belize are marked with numbers and sometimes the name of the mother ship on them but that barge has no markings on it.
Since the barge measured 30 feet in length and 23 feet width a working crew was sent to disassemble the barge in three pieces and remove it from the reef. On Monday, March 15 the barge was removed from the reef at about 2:00 p.m. and taken to the Eiley's Boat Yard where it is under the custody of the Port Authority.
Kirah Foreman, Marine Biologist of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve told Ambergris Today that, as of press time, due to the weather conditions they were unable to conduct a proper investigation in the area where the barge was lodged. She commented that the area they estimate that was damaged was 40 feet in width and that extra damage was caused in the area as the barge was being removed; nevertheless the damage was minimal and according to Ms. Forman there was only habitat damage and little coral damage.
No one has claimed ownership of the barge, believed to have come from open seas; Authorities assess Reef Damages.
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