Catamaran runs aground on the reef near San Pedro

There are confirmed reports that a vessel ran aground on the reef on Tuesday. It is a Catamaran, which was sailing off the coast of Ambergris Caye. Earlier today, the vessel was removed from the corals and a team comprising of officials of various government departments was dispatched to the scene to assess the damage. The vessel is expected to be detained by the Belize Port Authority but up to news time, the assessment team had not returned from San Pedro. Since late last year, several vessels have been damaging the reef and the catamaran is just the latest craft added to that disturbing list which includes the CaribeMariner, the Westerhaven, and most recently, the Azteca. The Azteca is a yacht belonging to Mexican Billionaire, Ricardo Salinas Pliego. Pliego was on holiday near San Pedro when his luxury yacht ran onto the reef. While he was detained, the Azteca’s captain, Villeras Eckart, claimed he dropped the anchor in order to avoid running aground. The damaged area of the coral reef measured twenty-five by forty-five meters. Salinas Pliego was fined close to eight hundred thousand U.S. dollars based on the size of the damaged area and he reportedly accepted liability. He was allowed to sail away before making payment. That incident occurred back on April seventh and News Five has learnt that Pliego is now only wiling to pay half of the money.