Paul Allen’s 94-meter M/Y Tatoosh reportedly has destroyed an estimated 13,800 square feet (roughly three-tenths of an acre) of reef in the West Bay Replenishment Zone in the Cayman Islands, according to a statement by the Department of Environment (DoE) for the Cayman Islands. The report comes after DoE officials surveyed the area, which revealed that more than 80 percent of the coral was damaged by the yacht’s chain.
Cayman News Service reports that the yacht was anchored near the Doc Poulson wreck and The Knife dive site.
Paul Allen’s team claims they were abiding by the mooring instructions Port Control provided them. Allen’s company, Vulcan Inc., released a statement that read,
“While moored in the Caymans in a position directed by the local port authority, the vessel Tatoosh shifted due to strong winds in the area that unintentionally pushed it closer to a marine reserve area. The vessel quickly relocated its position, and the crew is cooperating fully with local authorities to ensure that no marine life in the area was inadvertently impacted.”
The cause of the investigation is currently under way.
“This matter is still under investigation, and this is hampering our ability to share details widely,” Timothy Austin, deputy director of research and assessment at the DoE, told Dockwalk. According to the DoE’s statement, a more detailed report concerning the findings will be released next week.
Since the details are still being investigated with all parties, “it is not possible to predict the consequences,” adds Austin, although Boat International reports that the DoE would be “seeking compensation,” but not necessarily in the form of a fine. Scott Slaybaugh, deputy director of operations and enforcement at the DoE, told Boat International they are more interested in finding proactive solutions.
Cayman News Service noted in their report that while any vessel that causes damage to local reefs can be fined, the government has failed to collect on sanctions for a number of incidents over the past few years.
Read more:
https://caymannewsservice.com/2016/01/billionaire-boater-destroys-wb-reef/
http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-allens-yacht-destroys-coral-reef-2016-1
[Header Image: The damage caused by M/Y Tatoosh.]
UPDATE 2/23
Salvage work is under way to repair the reef damage caused by Paul Allen’s M/Y Tatoosh. According to local reports, the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands has imposed an immediate, temporary anchoring restriction for all vessels within 200 yards of the reef damage site in the West Bay Replenishment Zone.
A Ministry of Environment media release declared, “anchoring exclusion is enacted for the purpose of coral reef reconstruction work and a subsequent monitoring period. The public will be advised when the restriction is lifted.”
It then added that if a vessel wishes to access the site, they must apply to Port Authority with the name of the vessel, the date and time of their visit and the purpose of the visit.
The DoE is expected to issue a statement soon with more information about the restoration work. Vulcan Inc., Allen’s company, released a statement that Paul Allen and his representatives have taken swift steps to develop a remediation plan.
The investigation on the incident is still ongoing.
https://caymannewsservice.com/2016/02/allens-company-quibbles-over-reef-damage/
http://www.caymanreporter.com/2016/02/19/anchoring-restrictions-imposed-west-bay-replenishment-zone/
UPDATE, 5/24/17
Money from the settlement between thegovernment and Paul Allen will be used to pay for a permanent mooring for largevessels at Seven Mile Beach Marine Park’s north end in the Cayman Islands.
In an agreement last October, Allen conceded to paycompensation and fund emergency reef restoration; part of this agreement was astipulation that some of the money go toward funding a sturdy mooring for largevessels in the area.
According to Cayman Compass, the government is currently in theprocess of contract agreements and buying materials for the installation. Whenthis is completed, the remainder of the settlement funds will be used toinstall additional moorings. Department of Environment Director GinaEbanks-Petrie reportedly said the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands donatedthe anchor for the mooring. This will create room for extra funding for theadditional moorings.
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UPDATE, 2/23/18
The Department of Environment in Grand Cayman put thecompensation money provided by Paul Allen to use for the first time this weekto help ensure similar coral reef damaging incidents don’t happen in thefuture, reports the CaymanCompass.
With help from West Indian Marine, they installed the firstof four new superyacht moorings off West Bay — a giant orange mooring buoy designedfor yachts larger than 100 feet attached to a two-inch stud link chain and30,000-pound anchor.
“It is pretty enormous,” Scott Slaybaugh, deputy director ofthe department, told Cayman Compass. “The first one was a bit of a learning curvebecause we have never handled anything this big in shipping before.”
The anchor was reportedly dropped in a sandy area around 40feet deep under the guidance of a Department of Environment research officerwith experience in maintaining moorings for supertankers.
There are plans for one more mooring in Grand Cayman and twoin the Sister Islands, which would provide secure anchorage for superyachts forthe first time in the Cayman Islands.
“We thought it was an appropriate use of funds from the Tatoosh settlement, to prevent this sametype of issue happening again,” Slaybaugh concluded to the Cayman Compass.