An underwater video posted to YouTube Tuesday captures portions of a coral reef being obliterated by a cruise ship’s anchor and chain in mere seconds, a stunning contrast to the estimated centuries it took to grow.
The disturbing five-and-half minute video was reportedly shot along the Grand Cayman Island’s western shore on the same day it was posted.
“As you will see in the video, a massive portion of the reef out front from Don Fosters and Eden Rock was completely destroyed today,” Scott Prodahl, who posted the video, wrote.
Prodahl claims that the Spanish cruise ship Pullmantur Zenith, which is owned by American Royal Caribbean Cruises, had been given permission to anchor despite it being a protected zone — so it did.
Exactly who made this decision is not clear.
Pullmantur Zenith and Royal Caribbean have not immediately responded to requests for comment, but Royal Caribbean’s main Twitter account — responding to a concerned user‘s inquiry — claims that the ship was “directed to a government-designated anchorage spot, not in a protected area.”
According to a map on the islands’ Department of Environment website, the island’s entire west coast is marked as a marine park, meaning that anchoring is prohibited under most circumstances — particularly by boats larger than 60 feet and in non-sandy areas.
The department’s website further stresses that it’s considered an offense “for anyone without a license to cut, carve, injure, mutilate, displace or break any underwater corals, plant growth or formation.”The disturbing five-and-half minute video was reportedly shot along the Grand Cayman Island’s western shore the same day it was posted.
“Many, if not most, corals grow at a rate of less than half-an-inch a year; so if the underwater beauty which has taken centuries to develop is to remain for the future enjoyment of everyone, residents and visitors must act responsibly,” the department site states.
The islands’ Marine Conservation Laws, seen on the islands’ tourism website, also state that, “Damaging coral by anchor, chains or any other means ANYWHERE in Cayman waters is prohibited.”
Prodahl vents on his his Youtube page that in the last several decades, this portion of the reef was never needed as an anchorage site for cruise ships, “…but for some reason today, when there was only 4 ships in port, it was deemed necessary.”
He questions how “in the name of conservation,” the public is prohibited from fishing or taking an empty shell from marine parks like the one they filmed, “but for some reason you can drop an anchor and wipe out a reef that took thousands of years to grow.”
“This video was shot roughly an hour after the anchor was dropped, I can’t imagine what it looks like now,” he continued.
As of Thursday afternoon, Prodahl’s video had been viewed more than 500,000 times. It’s invited some scathing public criticism in his comment section, as well as on Reddit and Twitter:
Requests for comment from Prodahl and several other major cruise liners that anchor in the area where the reef was destroyed were not immediately returned.
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Emilio Cogliani 