Turks And Caicos Island News

The Caribbean is a complex maritime environment, with multiple countries and territories, significant seaborne commerce and a wide variety of threats to safety, security, stability, the environment and sovereignty. A diverse group of stakeholders gathered in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to discuss those challenges and reaffirm their commitment to address them. A major theme throughout the conference was that partnerships and collaboration are important to achieving maritime security in the region.

A member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) recently responded to the grounding of the Thor III, a 250’ x 72’ x 16.5’ deck barge carrying 4,000 tons of gravel and sand in a national sanctuary in the Turks and Caicos Island, BWI.  The ASA member lightered approximately 3,500 tons of cargo and then proceeded to patch, pump, and blow down the necessary compartments to float the barge from its grounded position, avoiding substantial damage to the sanctuary using the 2,000 HP tug El Morro.   “Professional salvors are available to respond to a variety of events and to help protect sensitive marine environments such as was done in this incident,” said ASA President John A. Witte, Jr.   “We are proud of this ASA member to be there with the right approach when called upon,” he continued.