POINTE BLANCHE:--- The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority, a company of Port St. Maarten, is assisting with the removal of a boat wreck along the shoreline of the Simpson Bay Beach near Karakter Beach Bar & Restaurant.
Ministry Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) requested the assistance of the Lagoon Authority.
An excavator has been contracted to see what sections of the wreckage can be removed. An assessment was carried out on Thursday morning by representatives of the Lagoon Authority with respect to the wreckage.
A diver was used to direct the works of the excavator which was operating from the beach. Some small debris has been removed, but the wreckage measures approximately 120 feet and large sections of it remain under the sand in the water.
The Lagoon Authority will discuss further with stakeholders with respect to the removal of the heavier pieces. One of the proposals is to drag those larger sections (if possible) out into the bay where they would become a natural reef and a fish and coral habitat.
The beaches are an essential part of the destinations product, and any hazards that pose a threat must be dealt with.
According to the Nature Foundation, the boat wreckage is the former Golden Fleece, a yacht that broke anchor in Simpson Bay several years ago.
A number of complaints were made about swimmers getting cut from the underwater wreckage while swimming in the area. The foundation placed a buoy marker warning swimmers about the underwater danger and to refrain from swimming in that particular area.