Hotel considers using “booms” to keep seaweed clear of beaches

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Oil Containment Boom

The St. James’ Club is considering using booms to fight the sargassum seaweed invasion on its beaches.

The devices are similar to what experts use to contain oil spills.

The hotel hopes that the Sargassum, trapped behind the booms, can then be removed to a dumpsite readied on land to receive the smelly hydrogen-sulfide vegetation.

It was also proposed that the removed vegetation can be turned into fertilizer.

“Both the Government and the hotels are likely to purchase the harvesters and the barges required to remove the seaweed,” a Cabinet statement said.

The Cabinet Ministers also discussed the techniques that Martinique is reputedly exploring to control the flow of Sargassum; the Minister of the Environment will seek technical cooperation from the French West Indies territory.

Minister of the Environment will also meet with OECS officials on July 12, 2018, since the entire Caribbean archipelago is facing the Sargussum challenge.

The Cabinet also proposed to seek funding from the European Union following discussions between the Minister and the Ambassador from Italy.

Since the invasion of the Sargassum is likely to be annually, the Cabinet decided that the event will be treated like a hurricane where preparation, pre-planning and post-event evaluation will follow.

Significant sums are to be expended by the Government and the accommodation sector to address the challenge of this unwanted phenomenon.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. I was due to stay at St James late September but have been told that the hotel is closed for three months. Can anyone tell me. Is this true.

  2. Is there a way to tackle the seaweed before it reaches to close in shore? Preferably floating nets in cohesion with the Bob’s? The seaweed sinks also therefore we must cater to what can pass the bobs underneath.

  3. These Booms do not work as effective as one would think. They only stop the seaweed for a little while. when there is a build up in catchment the waves eventually pushes the seaweed over the boom and it continues its path..

  4. St John- Well they said they will remove the weed that has been trapped by the boom. So let’s hope it will not reach to the point where there’s a build up and over runs it.

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