The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE pleas for a resolution by Long Island MP Adrian Gibson earlier this month, government officials have been unable to clearly state the status of operations related to remediation of a wrecked barge that washed ashore in October.

This comes as residents on the island continue to express frustration with the status of operations there.

One resident, who asked not to be named said: “The message being tossed around Nassau is that everything was being handled. How can that be when the barge is now in pieces and everything that was on it is still floating around in the channel?

“I guess they figured it isn’t a big deal because it’s here and not in Nassau. Meanwhile everything from the light poles to the machines still in the water.”

The government has been somewhat tight-lipped on its handling of the matter, with the latest coming from Transport and Local Government Minister Frankie Campbell last week during his ministry’s recent holiday road safety event.

The Southern Shores MP, in response to a question on whether he had communicated with the barge’s operators in recent weeks, said: “No, I haven’t heard any word from the owners of the barge in Long Island, but if I hear anything from them, in addition to the legal message that we’re sending out to them, I’ll remind them of my road safety tips.”

Mr Campbell, at that time, did not clarify the extent of clean-up efforts or how the government was being aided by the residents and local stakeholders.

When contacted Tuesday, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Anthony Newbold told The Tribune Mr Campbell’s comment would have to stand as the government’s message as the Cabinet hadn’t authorised an official statement on the matter since then.

“At this time, whatever it is that he would have said, that would qualify as the latest from the government as he is the substantive minister with that issue and the latest to speak to it,” Mr Newbold said.

Earlier this month, Mr Gibson, in his call for government intervention, said: “Mr Speaker, in recent weeks, a barge wrecked on the shorelines of Long Island. Among the many other items, the barge carried 37,000 gallons of diesel, almost 200 poles, vehicles, wire, telephone substations and a crane etc.

“Today, the barge has broken up along the shoreline. The diesel has spilled into the water. The vehicles and other items are in the water. Poles are floating into shipping lanes and we have still not seen any real effort to remove the barge or to have the debris removed.

“I am calling upon the Minister of Transport (Frankie Campbell) to address this matter as it is a hazard to boaters and the environment and an eyesore,” he contended.

The government has suggested the barge’s owner, R R Caribbean Marine Operators of Trinidad, was preparing a salvage team to remove the barge off the shore, and to transport the same for dry dock repairs.

Items on the barge were reportedly were earmarked for St Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.