BILLIONAIRE BOAT DESTROYS CORAL REEF
A five-deck luxury yacht destroyed most of a protected coral reef in the Cayman Islands last month. The 92 metre luxury vessel, owned by Microsoft co-owner Paul Allen caused the damage when its anchor chain scraped 1,300 square metres (14,000 square feet) of reef near two scuba diving sites in the West Bay. The Tatoosh is the 49th largest yacht in the world.
According to Boatinternational.com it has twin helicopter landing pads, an observation lounge and a gymnasium. Vulcan Inc, the company that manages Allen’s fortune said that the Tatoosh was moored on January 14 in a "position explicitly directed" by the local port authority. They claimed that, "When its crew was alerted by a diver that her anchor chain may have impacted coral in the area, the crew promptly, and on their own accord, relocated their position to ensure the reef was protected." Allen owns the Seattle Seahawks and The Portland Trail Blazers. He is a philanthropist and recently announced support for research to stabilize and restore coral reefs. CNN reported that he was not aboard the yacht during this incident. The Cayman News Service disclosed that divers surveyed the damage last week and that the environment department expects to issue its investigative findings next week. Allen could be liable for civil damages and pay a fine of up to $600,000. In December Cayman Islands Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell confirmed that the Department of Environment and Cayman Islands Port Authority had launched an investigation into the destruction of a stretch of coral reef by Royal Caribbean’s Pullmantur Zenith off the coast of Grand Cayman. Last year a local pilot boat operated by Bodden Shipping Agency guided a Carnival cruise ship to anchor outside of the designated public port anchorage. The anchor was not set on sand, and 137 metres (450 feet) of chain landed on the reefs, causing significant damage.