The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Chamber of Commerce division last night said The Bahamas' failure to properly regulate the maritime industry was "a crime in itself" amid fears about seabed damage caused by cruise ship anchors.

The Chamber's energy and environment division, in a statement, said preliminary findings of "significant damage to marine assets" in the waters of the Berry Islands was "devastating" and represented a "serious blow" to both the environment and tourism/fisheries economy.

Speaking out after government divers verified that reports from concerned fishermen appeared to be accurate, the Chamber unit said: "With regard to the reports circulating this weekend of the cruise ships sheltering in the Berry Islands, the update by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources on the reported damage to our marine life is a serious blow to our environment and economy.

"Although we realise that the cruise ship industry has been a big boost to our tourism industry, this damage to our marine environment and the fishing industry is devastating and should have been monitored.

"This type of thing has been happening for many years, [involving] not only cruise ships but also yachts and pleasure boats. It is unfortunate that it has [required] devastation of our reefs and marine life, as well as the disruption in the fishing industry (especially as the crawfish season has just started and the income is so desperately needed) to finally bring this to the forefront."

The controversy was sparked after Berry Islands fishermen, via social media voice notes, raised the alarm that the anchors and chains of cruise ships anchored in the area were inflicting serious damage on coral reefs and marine life as they drag along the ocean floor.

The Government has allowed numerous cruise ships, many of whom fly the Bahamian flag, to anchor in this nation's waters since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic because their home ports simply do not have the capacity to accommodate all vessels due to the sector's global shutdown.

Between 14-18 cruise ships are thought to be anchored in the Berry Islands close to several of the industry's private islands, including Royal Caribbean's Coco Cay and Norwegian Cruise Lines' Great Stirrup Cay.

The Government, in response, said it dispatched divers from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Department of the Environment to the Berry Islands to carry out anchorage site inspections in response to the concerns.

"The initial dive, which was limited in scope, clearly showed significant damage to marine assets allegedly caused by anchors of vessels anchoring in the area," the Government said. "These initial findings necessitate a comprehensive assessment of much of the area between the Berry Islands and Bimini.

"While safeguarding our people and our resources, we have been a responsible partner to the cruise industry and vessels in distress. However, our first priority is to be great stewards of the essential and valuable marine resources that helped make The Bahamas such a special place in the global community."

A Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman, when contacted by Tribune Business, said they were checking into the concerns raised by the fishermen and government statement but were "not aware of any such issue tied to any of our ships. We file our ship plans regularly with the government and other authorities". No response was obtained from Royal Caribbean despite this newspaper's efforts.

The Chambers' energy and environment division said that while the newly-implemented Environmental Planning and Sustainable Development Act provided a mechanism to seek financial compensation for any damage caused by the cruise lines, the impact could not be overstated.

It added that "reefs are living organisms that have taken hundreds of years to grow", and are also "the first line of defense we have from hurricane surges and they create a habitat for marine life".

"This is what brings guests to our country. How this has not been addressed earlier, and these ships have been left unattended by us and left to their own devices, is a crime in itself," the Chamber unit said.

"Items that are missing in our marine and shipping industry in The Bahamas that create havoc to our country, and are available worldwide, are things like designated moorings for large vessels such as yachts and cruise ships other than in the ports.

"Large ships and yachts have tenders to get the persons to shore. Second, ships are not required, from our understanding, to have 'salvage insurance' when entering our waters as well as for Bahamian vessels." The absence of the latter, it added, meant The Bahamas was financially exposed in the event of major pollution or dumping incidents.

"With the introduction of satellite imagery and drones, these type of things can be and should be monitored. Assuming others will take care of our country and follow the rules is like telling a four year-old to go to bed each night at a regular time and assuming he will without supervision," the Chamber division said.

"The ecosystems are challenged every time this happens. Our laws need to be addressed and strengthened, not polices that can be changed at a whim or every five years. We need to realise what a beautiful country we have, which can be seen from space as this amazing blue, unlike any other place on the Earth and we need to protect it and our economy like it were our first-born child.

"Challenge brings opportunity. We do hope that this devastating blow to our precious environment and our fishing industry results in laws being adjusted or created to, once and for all, protect our country from future disasters and that the laws are fully enforced. To do this we need the budget and resources, both human and financial, to police, monitor and protect our natural environment."