admin 
Efforts to salvage the vessel MV Christina Debora, which ran aground on Cobblers Reef in St. Philip, have been temporarily suspended due to safety concerns.
This is aerial footage of the vessel taken by the Barbados Defence Force’s Drone Unit.
Recovery operations on Sunday were halted after rough sea conditions made it unsafe for personnel involved, according to Deputy Director of the D.E.M., Major Robert Harewood.
The Barbados Coast Guard attempted to conduct an onboard assessment of the ship to determine the safest and most effective way to connect the vessel to the Barbados Port Inc.’s tugboat, Hercules.
A B.D.F. official attached to the inter-agency task force said the weather forecast indicates that strong swells along the coast will likely prevent access to the ship for the next several days.
Director of the Coastal Zone Management Unit, Dr. Leo Brewster, warned that the longer the vessel remains on the reef, the greater the potential damage to the surrounding marine ecosystem, particularly due to the constant rocking of the ship.
Despite those concerns, Dr. Brewster stressed that the safety of personnel involved in the recovery must take priority.
In a news release, officials from the government-led inter-agency task force agreed that it would be best to resume salvage efforts once wave and wind conditions improve, likely between Friday, February 6, and Sunday, February 8.
Grace-Anne Smith 
