Boats damaged as barge breaks loose in storm
Last night’s strong tropical wave may have been good for thieves, but it was no fun for fishermen in the Belize City Harbour. Fonciano Copo told News 5 he received a call this morning saying his boat was in trouble.
Fonciano Copo, Fisherman
“A sugar barge came into the boats and knocked the boats and knocked my one too, and that caused the boat to come up this side. When I come this morning I checked all the damage that happened to it.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“You said you have seven dories on the boat, now there is only five. Where did the other two go?”
Fonciano Copo
“I don’t’ know where they went, because where I found the boat this morning, it was about forty yards from where I left it.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“What is B.S.I. saying to you all?”
Fonciano Copo
“They just told to come and check with them tomorrow at 9:00, but I don’t know if they are really going to do something about it. My sail is also damaged and the boat side too and the part where we put the sail on it and the rudder of the boat is missing too.”
Enrique Alamina, Fisherman
“It got away from the sugar place, then it started to go in a squall. The it started to throw the boats from up there and the boats came right down, breaking down, breaking down until they ended up by the bridge. That’s what caused my boat to be on the side there now. A lot of those boats got damaged, one sink.”
Fonciano Copo
“I don’t know how a sugar barge can move from there, when they are supposed to tie it very good.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“You think it was not properly secured?”
Fonciano Copo
“Definitely, because this is not the first time this has happened. Once, about two years ago it happened, we were parked and my hand got damaged. That too was by a sugar barge.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“Did they compensate you at that time?”
Fonciano Copo
“Yes. So I expect that this time they are going to do something about it.”
When we contacted Lloyd Smith who heads B.S.I.’s Belize City office, he said only that the matter is under investigation.
