The flagship vessel of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard, Capt. Hugh Mulzac, has run aground in Union Island, multiple sources have confirmed to iWitness News.
The incident occurred overnight in the Clifton Harbour, where two of three navigational lights have not been functioning for some time.
Sources told iWitness News that the Coast Guard was looking into getting one of the inter-island ferries to attempt to tow the vessel off the reef.
Southern Grenadines MP Terrance Ollivierre had raised the issue of navigational aids in the Grenadines in a question in Parliament in August.
In response, Minister of Grenadines Affairs and Seaports, Senator Benarva Browne, told Parliament that the Port Authority was commissioning a project to repair comprehensively repair all of the aids to navigation in the southern Grenadines and improve on the existing navigational lights, especially in Mayreau.
“Today, one of these contractors, K Electric, is completing on-site assessments to commence the repairs and reinstallation. Over EC$200,000 have been spent to purchase the lights alone and to install them in these locations,” the minister had told Parliament.
Browne had said three of those lights had been fully restored and the remainder would be installed once the infrastructure was in place.
“The provisional sum to repair the navigational aid lights is a half a million dollars,” Browne had said.
“It is, therefore, evident that the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Port Authority, is making safe and effective navigation to and from the Grenadines a high priority.”
Capt. Hugh Mulzac, an offshore patrol vessel, was commissioned in January 2019 after the government bought it second-hand.
The Damen SPA 4207 vessel, along with works down to accommodate it at the Calliaqua Coast Guard Base, cost taxpayers almost EC$18 million.
The vessel, which has the hull number “SVG 01” and call sign J8CM, is 42.8 metres (140 feet) long, has a beam of 7.1 metres and a draught of 2.5 metres.
It has a capacity for 18 crew and four guests.
The maximum speed is 26.5 knots (49.1 kilometres per hour) and a range of 1,800 nautical miles.
The vessel can remain at sea for 14 days.