Cargo ship still stranded on Lighthouse Reef

Local and international marine experts continue to scratch their heads trying to figure out how to remove the wayward vessel "Transfer" from its perch atop a section of Lighthouse Reef atoll.

While officials had hoped to dislodge the wreck during a salvage operation earlier this month, reports to News Five indicate that the attempt was unsuccessful.

We are told that when the Transfer experienced problems and crashed into the coral in January of this year, only one third of its two hundred and twenty-five foot length sat on the reef, but when Hurricane Emily churned through the Caribbean, the large accompanying waves pushed an additional third of the Transfer into the shallows.

With that much dead weight high and dry, even the powerful tug imported to pull the vessel off the reef proved ineffective, forcing officials to come up with plan B. It is understood that there are two options: one to bring two bigger tugs to the site and proceed with dislodging the vessel, or hire work crews armed with welding torches to cut the ship into several pieces to facilitate its removal.

The Transfer ran aground at eleven-thirty on the night of January sixth at a spot four point two miles south of Sandbore Caye.

Investigations into the crash later determined that a faulty auto-pilot had directed the ship into the reef. No fines have been levied against the owner of the vessel, identified to us as Ariane Shipping Company; however we understand that officials are making a thorough assessment of the monetary damages to the environment.

They will then levy a fine three times that amount, a minimum of six hundred thousand dollars, against those responsible.

Source: www.channel5belize.com