No illegal items on board
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ENGINE shutdown had caused a Guyanese-registered vessel to run aground on a reef just off the coast of Dieppe Bay last Thursday (Nov. 27). This is according to captain of the vessel, Narine Ramnarine.
On that morning, visitors to the Dieppe Bay beach saw the vessel which appeared to be in distress and summoned help.
It was not until a couple of days after the unfavourable weather conditions had abated that crews from the St. Kitts Nevis Coast Guard and the St. Kitts Marine Works Ltd. (SKMW) were able to dislodge the vessel from the reef and transported it to the SKMW Boat Yard in New Guinea.
SKNVibes spoke with Captain Ramnarine who explained how the vessel ended up on the reef.
“We were going to St. Maarten and the engine was giving trouble and it cut out. When it cut out the boat drifted and drifted, and by the time we got it to start it was on the rock. When we tried to get out there was rough water, breeze, rain etc…”
Ramnarine was asked specifically if he had refused an offer of assistance by fishermen when they approached his vessel on that day, to which he responded in the negative.
He said the crew members were not fearful during the ordeal, but a contingency plan was in place in the event of the vessel capsizing.
“When the waves lashed the boat, it rocked from side to side. The water was so rough that over the time, the boat spun around a number of times. We took some barrels and made a raft just in case the boat didn’t hold up…”
The MV Hatuna Matata now sits in the St. Kitts Marine Works Ltd. Boat Yard and, according to the captain, it should be undergoing repairs today (Dec. 4).
He said pipes at the bottom of the vessel as well as the rudder were damaged during the incident.
A search of the vessel by members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and the Customs Excise Department revealed no find of any illegal items.
The four-member crew is in good health but the captain indicated that they are uncertain when repairs would be completed in order for them to be able to set sail again.
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