Feb. 4, 2009 — A second incident of a vessel grounding that caused damage to the coral reefs surrounding St. Croix was reported Wednesday by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
Slippery When Wet, a 40-foot Sea Ray, ran aground Jan. 23 on a reef about a quarter mile north of the beach at the Buccaneer Hotel, according to a news release by Jamal Nielsen, DPNR's media relations coordinator.
The incident happened at 11 p.m. and was reported the next morning to DPNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Mark Baker of St. Croix owns Slippery When Wet, Nielsen said.
The vessel was towed the next day to the St. Croix Marina, where it was deemed "a total loss," according to Nielsen.
The divisions of Fish and Wildlife and Coastal Zone Management conducted a preliminary survey of the site Jan. 27. Reports show the reef is very shallow, starting at as deep as six feet and rising to less than one foot below the surface.
The length of the area damaged was about 180 feet long and 65 feet wide, according to Nielsen. The division estimated more than 300 corals, mostly brain coral, were damaged or destroyed by this grounding. Many of these corals are estimated to be hundreds of years old.
Part of the propeller blade, trim tabs, anchor, and other debris from Slippery When Wet were also recovered from the site.
Because of the size and number of affected corals, the scope of the damage reported Wednesday far exceeds that from an incident reported Monday. That incident, which took place Jan. 17 about 1.7 miles south of St. Croix, involved the tanker Sichem Amethyst, which was headed to the Hovensa oil refinery. The tanker struck the reef and was later able to free itself. Because the tanker was inbound, it was empty and thus caused less damage and spilled no oil. DPNR is working on a mitigation plan to repair the damaged coral with the ship's owner, New Victory Lines S.A., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Polaris Applied Science. (See "Hovensa-Bound Tanker Damages Reef Off St. Croix.")
In the more recent grounding, restoration efforts are already under way to save the damaged coral, Nielsen said.
"We have to go ahead with this now," Nielsen said. "We can't wait to try to get damages from Mr. Baker. There's a time frame, a short one, in order to save them."
Divers have been at work recovering the coral, righting them and resubmitting them to the reef in the hope that they'll re-establish themselves.
Baker does not have insurance on Slippery When Wet, Nielsen said. However, DPNR will seek damages from the owner.
"We definitely intend on seeking damages from Mr. Baker," he said.
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