TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Minister calls for shipwrecks to be removed

Its ironic that they mention sending a "negative impression". For years I always loved seeing the Pelicans on the roundabout and yet they have done nothing to fix them..still with broken wings etc....This is the very first thing you see coming out of the Airport!

We have heard all this before, way before Irma struck, about 5-6 years ago, there were wrecks up on the side of the road on airport road. Each year I hoped I would not see it...each year it was there, they are eye sores and dangerous, and added to contamination of a already nasty lagoon. If he can get it done in a expeditious manner, bravo to him, yet I know when I am there in Nov, many will still be sticking out of the lagoon

Not only are they an eye sore but are detrimental to the environment and ecosystem of the Lagoon and outer waters.

Don't shipwrecks and/or sunken ships (if prepared properly) make good dive sites?

Yes they do after they are stripped of all contaminates.

Many insurance companies have excluded private sailboats from visiting SXM because of all the wrecks in both the Lagoon and surrounding waters. The insurance exclusion is similar to exclusions for Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela. It is a shame the Sint Maarten government will not permit the removal of wrecks because of red tape, or so we have been told.

Once the Lagoon and surrounding waters are free of wrecks, the insurance companies will lift their no-go sanctions against SXM, bringing in much needed income for the island from cruising sailors.

Didn't the island government run off a crane which arrived to do salvage right after Irma? Something about not having the proper permits? Perhaps a better course of action would have been to assist the crane in getting permits.

You would think that would be the case as it would bring needed revenue into the island, but between the French and Dutch governments, coupled with the corruption and self serving politicians what would make sense to most normal people has not trickled down to them. GEBE out, dump fires, insurance fraud, every body wanting their hands greased (We have this here in the US), yet a small multi national island whose reliance on tourists dollars, one would think they would push to get this rectified. Island rebuilt, debris removed, sunken or beached boats, yachts removed makes for a better environment, tourists dollars coming in, equates to more employment for their people desperate for work and normalcy. This recovery was no easy feat by no means, coupled with two governments, insurance companies from the dual nations making it harder to get things done. When tourists land on Caribbean islands, admitting it or not, is curb appeal..it sells, resells and so on. I hope these two governments truly get their head out of their asses and finally rectify these urgent matters.
At this point it is a matter survival for their populace.

Maybe......but I thought the story was they were slow to hire a local SXM salvage crew so folks in the BVI snatched him up.