‘Bureaucracy’ stalling salvaging of derelict boats across VI- Deputy Premier
Speaking at the Continuation of the Ninth Sitting of the First Session of the Fifth House of Assembly (HoA) on April 9, 2024, Hon Smith further disclosed that the issue is not about finance, as the money is there, but bureaucracy is the main obstacle.
RFP needed for boats to be salvaged- Hon Smith
While commending Nanny Cay Resort and Marina for recently salvaging two boats from the Sea Cows Bay Harbour, Hon Smith said such projects have to go through a process that is likely to involve the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry and that a Request for Proposal (RFP) needs to be prepared.
Hon Smith; however, could not say who has to prepare the RFP and why this has not yet been done.
“But again, Madam, Speaker, the bureaucracy, first of all, there has to be something called a Request for Proposal and then you have to find out who has to prepare this Request for Proposal to go out so that these 300 boats or whatever the numbers are, who is going to prepare it so that the work can get started.
“In the meantime, nothing happens., but on top of that, you hear that the Shipping Registry has to tag the boats before they can be lifted out, before they can be salvaged, and so it’s like a vicious cycle.”
The Deputy Premier bemoaned the fact that the territory is in dire need of cleaning up but nothing is being done.
Who has to prepare RFP?
“The hurricanes were 2017 and you look down everywhere, in front of Village Cay, go right around to Nanny Cay, you go up to East End, all over, and the place is a mess. It’s really beyond horrible looking. We have to fix this country and whoever has to prepare this Request for Proposal, whether it is the Ministry of Finance, or whoever, we have to get it done.
“It is not that we don’t have the financial resources, as has been said by several people today, we have the final resources to do this but we have to get it done.”
Hon Smith shared that she feels embarrassed because she had campaigned on getting the territory cleaned up and that she thought it was a straightforward task.
“ How naïve I was. Today, there is not even a Request for Proposal to get them [boats] out of the waters.
“It really is not good enough and I call on everybody, all of us, whatever we have to do, let us do it, let us work together to get this country cleaned up on land and sea,” Hon Smith urged.
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18 Responses to “‘Bureaucracy’ stalling salvaging of derelict boats across VI- Deputy Premier”
I just hope for the sake of our future our leaders do the correct thing and listen to the experts on the subject matters.
Beside the Derelict boats and vehicles and garbage all over the territory. It also have a lot of rusted derelict machineries and shipping containers or trailers all over the place. Soon the whole country is going to look like a container/trailer city.
Them destroyed the Beautiful Beach and Warf in Baugher's Bay but them doing Development and now the place
look like a Dump Heap. From Pasea Eatate to Port Purcell to Jean Hill look like a Dump Heap. All the ponds in these areas/locations is gone and become storage camps for Garbage and Derelict Items - except for the businesses places that exist there now.
My heart is grieved and hurting to see how nasty and untidy this Country has become. I am so ashamed and embarrassed I can't say anymore.
Barges and metal boats should be cut up for scrap metal. People know good and well those rust bucket barges in Baughers Bay are not salvageable…. Please make the owners get rid of them or charge them an environmental fine.
office buildings. Some blimps too.