The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

SOME workers at Potter’s Cay Dock are concerned that several sunken vessels are contaminating the water.

Island Link mailboat captain Jed Munroe said the dock has about ten sunken vessels. He is concerned the boats are contaminating the water with diesel, potentially harming marine life.

“It’s affecting the public because it’s a health hazard,” he said. “The guys that are selling conch salad at Potter’s Cay Dock, all these sunken vessels are contaminating the conch they are storing in or around the dock. The toxic metal that comes out of rusted metal, that toxicity is going into the conch.”

“My question is, when is the government going to do something about these sunken vessels at Potter’s Cay Dock?”

Family Island boaters have also had challenges docking their boats because the sunken vessels take up a lot of space, he said.

He said one vessel in particular, the Trans Cargo, has been deteriorating at the dock for years.

“It’s a huge eyesore,” he added. It’s a health hazard, and it’s occupying much-needed dock space that is needed by these other mail boats.”

Berne Wright, the acting port controller, said the government had contracted Heavy Marine and Foundations (HMF) to remove 28 vessels. He said 26 vessels had been removed over the last year, noting some vessels are easier to move than others.

He added that officials had contacted Eddins Taylor, the owner of the Trans Cargo vessel, to remove his boat. He said that vessel sank after the government executed its contract with HMF.

“As the regulators, we would identify vessels that need to be moved and we take measures to reach out to the owner to have them removed,” he told The Tribune.