Attempts are being made to remove the partially submerged 31-tonne Cayman Mermaid boat from the bottom of Governors Creek in Grand Cayman.
The Compass visited the site on Monday morning, 26 June, where a large salvage barge was positioned near the sunken 76-foot multi-deck boat.
Roylee Moore, acting cruise operations and security manager at the Port Authority, confirmed that a salvage company has been working to recover the vessel since Friday.
He told the Compass that they will likely attach airbags to the hull and inflate them to float the boat – while using pumps to remove the water – before it is towed.
Moore said the cause of the Cayman Mermaid sinking is only speculation at the moment and will be determined once it is out of the water.
It may be due to heavy rains filling up the boat and pumps not working, or a hose coming loose, he said, adding “it could be a number of things”.
Scott Slaybaugh, deputy director of operations and enforcement at the Department of Environment, said the department will be monitoring the salvage work.
“DoE does not anticipate any significant environmental impact from the salvage work,” he told the Compass.
However, he said there will be turbidity as the soft silty seabed in this area is disturbed.
“This turbidity is unavoidable and may cause some short-term degradation to the marine life in Governors Creek,” the deputy director added.
A 600-foot temporary floating barrier, which the department had placed around the boat to contain potential oil and fuel spills, was removed on Thursday to allow access to the barge.
The decades-old passenger boat, which was abandoned several years ago, started to sink on 24 May and is now resting on the bottom of the 12-foot-deep creek.
Moore previously told the Compass it is illegal to abandon a vessel in territorial waters.
“Contact has been made with the registered owners/attorney for them to arrange the re-floating and removal of the vessel at their expense,” Moore said at the end of May.
“A local salvage company has been engaged to undertake this and are currently awaiting approval based on the estimated cost for this work.”
Mermaid Cruises has been the registered owner of the vessel since 1993, according to the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry.
The aluminium boat, also known as the ‘Merpig’, was built by Gulf Craft in the United Arab Emirates in 1988 and has been used for concerts, parties, fire shows and snorkelling trips.
The Department of Environment said the seabed where it is now lying is primarily made up of algae and sponges, and damage to marine life has been “minimal”.
It said fuel loss remains “far below a level capable of recovery” and the containment boom was put in place as a standard precautionary response.
Since the vessel sunk, the Coast Guard has been broadcasting alerts to boat operators about the hazard and advising them to stay well clear.
The Compass contacted the Department of Environment for details on how the removal process will affect the creek environment and is awaiting a response.
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