Last October, government officials said they were working to remove a partially sunk barge in Fat Hogs Bay after opposition member Marlon Penn claimed East End residents had been complaining about the smell of leaked fuel.
More than eight months later, the barge is still there, and the topic came up again in the House of Assembly recently when Mr. Penn asked Deputy Premier Julian Fraser for an update on its removal.
“What is the status of the sunken, or almost-sunken, vessel just off Fat Hogs Bay that is leaking diesel and other foreign fluids, polluting the marine environment in the area?” Mr. Penn asked on June 5.
Mr. Fraser responded by detailing attempts to communicate with the vessel’s owners and announcing that the government has sought legal guidance on the matter.
“The ministry remains committed to seeing this issue through to a responsible and lawful resolution,” Mr. Fraser said. “To that end, the ministry has recently sought legal guidance from the Attorney General’s Chambers to determine the legal avenues available to bring this matter to finalisation.”
205-foot barge
The VI Quest, a 205-foot cargo vessel advertised on ACE Marine Contractors’ website, has drawn complaints from residents who say it is an eyesore and a safety hazard, Mr. Penn has alleged.
After Mr. Penn resurrected the issue in HOA this month, Mr. Fraser reaffirmed government’s commitment to the environment.
“The ministry continues to treat this matter with the utmost urgency and responsibility,” said Mr. Fraser, who is the minister of the environment, natural resources and climate change. “To date, we have held multiple communications with the vessel’s local representative to determine the status of the vessel’s removal and associated contingency planning.”
Last year, Mr. Penn told the HOA about complaints he’d received from residents about possible pollutants being leaked into the bay.
“People have expressed to me the smell of diesel that is emanating from the vessel going into the marine life, as well as there’s a rope that’s tied to the vessel across the harbour,” Mr. Penn said in October.
Mr. Fraser said this month that the vessel is not currently leaking fuel or oil into the water.
“During the last verbal engagement, our officers were advised that the vessel no longer contains any fuel on board, and that all oil has been removed,” he told Mr. Penn.
He did not say whether the VI Quest had previously released pollutants into Fat Hogs Bay, but he did say that his ministry conducted an inspection to assess the situation.
“The ministry carried out its own surface level assessment in February 2025, during which no visible signs of pollutants entering the surrounding marine environment from the barge were observed at the time,” he said.
Along with the verbal meetings between government and the vessel’s “representative,” Mr. Fraser said that “formal, written correspondence” has been issued as well.
According to the deputy premier, the VI Shipping and Maritime Authority and police Marine Unit had previously conducted assessments of the vessel, resulting in an “inter-agency” meeting which also included the Department of Disaster Management.
“Despite these sustained efforts and inter-agency coordination, the matter remains unresolved,” Mr. Fraser said.
Ownership
The website for the Virgin Gorda-based ACE Marine Contractors provides a brief history of the acquisition of the VI Quest.
“After the passing of the two hurricanes back in September 2017, the demand for construction material to rebuild the island was very prevalent,” the website states. “ACE Marine Contractors Ltd. was awarded two major contracts with very stringent completion dates. The major marine transportation company was overwhelmed; therefore, scheduling was a headache as delivery of material was often inconsistent.”
Because of these pressures, the website explains, ACE Marine Contractors decided to enter the marine logistics sector as part of efforts to “eliminate shipping costs” while better controlling delivery times.
“After successful completion of the projects in 2019, and with a now established logistics department, management decided to acquire a vessel,” the website states. “The MV ‘VI Quest’ was bought and configured to meet the specific requirements, while eliminating previous challenges the company had previously encountered while contracting other vessels.”
Ship’s specs
A specification sheet linked on the website states that the Quest was refitted to transport shipping containers, 200 tons of cement, and 250,000 gallons of fuel.
The 205-by-46-foot boat was built in 1999 as an offshore supply vessel, according to records kept by the United States Coast Guard.
Such vessels are often used to ferry supplies and labour to offshore oil rigs.
The 2,649-ton-displacement ship’s maximum draft is 14 feet, according to the specification sheet.
ACE Marine’s website names Jacintha Faulkner as the company’s founder and managing director, noting that she earned an associate degree in computer drafting and design from ITT Technical Institute in 2007 and a bachelor of fine arts degree in interior design from the American Intercontinental University in 2009.
Despite its links to the VI company, the specification sheet and US Coast Guard records state that the Quest is flagged in Togo, a country in west Africa.
No updates
Mr. Fraser told the Beacon Monday that there were no further updates regarding the vessel since he addressed the issue in HOA earlier this month.
Attorney General Dawn Smith referred the Beacon’s queries to government Communications Director Karia Christopher and Government Information Services, who did not respond by the Beacon’s print deadline yesterday.
ACE Marine Contractors has not responded to emails or other contact attempts made through its website.
No one answered the local phone number listed on ACE Marine’s website, which rang twice before dropping out.
