There is an oil drilling barge abandoned in Abaco, courtesy of Liberty Oil Refining of Las Vegas, NV. Thanks to Mr. Kermit Waters for allowing this vessel, a 259-foot Drill Barge Louis J Goulet, to come aground in 2005 during Hurricane Wilma. It broke loose during the storm and ended up in Abaco from Walkers Cay. It has been sitting on a coral reef next to the historic settlements of Man-O-War Cay and Hopetown. We are extremely grateful for his gift of more than 2000 tons of iron which will be added to the oceans over the next couple of decades.
There were several attempts to remove the rig but with no success. The government knows about this rig but has done nothing but make promises since 2005.

Here is another view before some of the towers were removed.

My marine services company made a proposal to Government almost a year ago, to prepare and execute a salvage removal plan, but we were not entertained.

:realmad:I don't understand how the government can just simply ignore this huge piece of rust.
Besides the fact that it is firmly planted on the reef, what happens if we get another hurricane like Jeanne and have the huge storm surge? That hunk of junk could end up on a beach and then what??

:realmad:I don't understand how the government can just simply ignore this huge piece of rust.
Besides the fact that it is firmly planted on the reef, what happens if we get another hurricane like Jeanne and have the huge storm surge? That hunk of junk could end up on a beach and then what??
thats when we will deal with it but for now its part of the local baoting attraction . have you not learnt anything from government . we only act when its a clear and present danger,

my goodness...

what if a ship hits it at night?

what if a ship hits it at night?

That is not possilbe as it is quite shallow and no ships would venture in that area.The barge could have been pulled off the sandbar quite easily by an ocean going tug for a good bit of time after it went aground,but the last time I went out there it was buried in the sand and I doubt it could be moved in one peice now.

Didn't Lurker and the Bloggy Boys do several articles on this a while back. (You can't access their archive of articles from before May 2007, so I cannot check)

Why aren't we fining these people and INSISTING they come and fetch their property and get it out of our waters?

Could you imgaine the stink the EPA would make if that thing was of the coast of Key WEST???
SMDH!


:dgi:

Why aren't we fining these people and INSISTING they come and fetch their property and get it out of our waters?
Could you imgaine the stink the EPA would make if that thing was of the coast of Key WEST???
SMDH!
:dgi:
After an extensive bit of research I found the last registered owners of the barge are;
Bahamas Oil Ltd of 720 Pickering AV. Ontario Canada and it was built by Davie Shipbuilders of Quebec Canada.

I'm not sure where the Las Vegas outfit came from unless they bought it and never insured it or registered it?:confused:

After an extensive bit of research I found the last registered owners of the barge are;
Bahamas Oil Ltd of 720 Pickering AV. Ontario Canada and it was built by Davie Shipbuilders of Quebec Canada.
I'm not sure where the Las Vegas outfit came from unless they bought it and never insured it or registered it?:confused:

You are missing the city.

720 Pickering Avenue of what city (Toronto maybe). Ontario is the province.

If you get the city name, I can look them up.

Didn't Lurker and the Bloggy Boys do several articles on this a while back. (You can't access their archive of articles from before May 2007, so I cannot check)

Yeah we did. I will search the offline archives.

It's owned by Kermit Waters, an attorney (he cheated and was caught on his bar exam) from Nevada. Specializing in eminent domain cases. Ironic how he claims to represent the common man and refuses to address the problems he has caused for the common Bahamian.
No Laws, No Fines, No Freedom of Information, No power for Local Government, No teeth in the legislation.....and so it goes...on and on...

You are missing the city.
720 Pickering Avenue of what city (Toronto maybe). Ontario is the province.
If you get the city name, I can look them up.

Sorry Lurker I don't know how I left it out,it is Pickering Ontario.The barge was fomerly named TELESIS and served primarily in the Great Lakes and it's canal systems as a "canaler."

I too have heard of and investigated this Kermit Waters of Las Vegas.Neither he or Liberty Oil Ltd. show up as owners in the "ships historical records" nor any insurance query that I could find.

Maybe you can sniff-out more on it than I was able to.