CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Department of Planning and Natural Resources wants boat owners to move their sunken boats out of the territory’s ports and waterways — or DPNR will move it for them.
DPNR Commissioner Dawn Henry said her department is working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of Emergency Support Function 10 (ESF 10).
ESF 10 is the framework by which federal support is coordinated with the state and territory agencies in response to actual or potential oil spills or hazardous material releases.
“Our main objective is to establish a vessel identification strategy and remove damaged vessels from the harbors, waterways and shorelines of the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Howard Forbes, Director of the DPNR’s Environmental Enforcement Division.
From its command post in St. Thomas, DPNR’s mission is to oversee the assessment, mitigation and removal of hazardous substances and vessels from the territory’s ports and waterways in the aftermath of recent hurricanes.
Currently, response teams are in the field conducting assessments of the ports and waterways in order to minimize the amount of pollution sunken vessels can cause to the maritime environment.
“During these assessments, a higher priority will be placed on vessels found to be actively leaking pollution,” Forbes said.
As teams locate emergent pollution situations, immediate action will be taken to contain the pollution and remove it from the environment.
DPNR officials are working to contact owners to coordinate a salvage plan for damaged vessels.
It is important that vessel owners communicate with DPNR within 30 days to avoid their vessels removed and destroyed as part of the USVI debris removal process.
Notices are being placed on damaged vessels by assessment teams requesting those owners contact [email protected]. We will also attempt to contact vessel owners using direct contact email, phones and other means.
With your cooperation, we will be able to protect and restore the harbors, waterways and shorelines of the U.S. Virgin Islands, safely and timely.
