Greenrock: ‘Kudos To Dept For Starting Process’

“We are in support of this initiative, and believe it is beneficial to both public health and the marine environment,” Greenrock‘s Executive Director Jonathan Starling said following news that the Government plans to remove 17 abandoned boats from the waters.

The Department of Environment & Natural Resources and the Department of Marine & Ports Services recently advised the public that 17 abandoned boats will shortly be removed from the water and disposed of.

The Department said, “The 17 ‘unknown’ abandoned vessels are located in the Ferry Reach, Mullet Bay, Coney Island and Mill’s Creek areas and are not only unsightly but also present a hazard to other motoring vessels.”

When asked on Greenrock’s position on the plan, Mr. Starling told Bernews, “We are in support of this initiative, and believe it is beneficial to both public health and the marine environment, as well, of course, for removing an eyesore from our natural environment.

“From a public health angle, these derelict boats pose a safety hazard, particularly for the boating public, but also swimmers and other users of the marine environment. They can also serve as a reservoir for mosquitoes, with stagnant fresh water potentially collecting in them.

“These derelict boats pose a series of hazards to the marine environment. In purely physical terms, they can serve as battering rams that can cause damage to mangroves, sea grass and corals. And this threat multiplies as they break up, becoming ever more pieces of shrapnel.

“There’s also the risk of fishing gear contained in them snaring fish, turtles and birds, as well as causing damage to corals. Then there’s the potential for these wrecks to leach heavy metals and hydrocarbons into the marine environment, harming the marine ecosystem, as well as contributing to the problem of plastic pollution in our seas.

Slideshow of some of the abandoned boats that will be removed:

“There is utility in converting unwanted boats into artificial reefs, which benefit the ecosystem. However this process involves removing potentially polluting or harmful materials from them first, and securing them properly in place. That isn’t the case with these derelict vessels, which is the problem.

“We are hopeful that this is just the first step in resolving the problem of derelict boats. We’d like to see further steps taken to ensure that this isn’t a problem going forward.

“In the meantime though, kudos to the Department of the Environment & Natural Resources and the Department of Marine and Port Services for starting this process. It will be a lot of hard work on their part, but a definite positive for public health and the environment.”

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Category: All, Environment, News