Minister Perez: Grounded Vessel Can’t Be Removed from Reef

Andre Perez

Earlier this year, in February, a sailboat with two Canadians onboard ran aground in Lighthouse Reef. Both sailors were rescued by the Belize Coast Guard, but their sailboat had to be left where it was. Today, the boat remains out there and to the dismay of environmentalists who are concerned that it is causing continuous damage to the reef. But the Minister of the Blue Economy, Andre Perez said today that there is no feasible way to remove the vessel from where it is located.

Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy

“The assessment has been done on that. It is irretrievable. I think that was done through the Port Authority, they are working on that but it got damage; I think the person – there’s not much we can do for it. It’s too much of a big project to extract from the reef. It’s going to cost money and we don’t have that kind of money, but it’s unfortunate that we have that. It’s pretty much well-embedded and it’s going to be part of the reef eventually.”