It’s that time of year when Barbadians must not only be on guard for the weather, but look to an annual challenge along its shores – Sargassum seaweed. Now the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy is spearheading the cause with a multi-departmental alliance in bringing the challenge to bear.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Early on the morning of 9th July 2020, precious machinery worth $300,000 Bds was launched into the waters off of the Consett Bay Fish Market. It will assist Barbados in controlling this seasonal algae challenge, and find its way to either renewable energy or fertilisation and other opportunities.

A post shared by MMABE Barbados (@mmabe_bb) on Jul 10, 2020 at 9:17am PDT

In a carefully mapped out test involving the Barbados Coast Guard, the BADMC, the Ministry of Transport as well as members of the Barbados Water Authority along with the Fisheries Division of the Maritime Affairs ministry, a sargassum harvester was put into a successful field test at Consett Bay in St John early on the morning of July 9th, 2020.

He explained how the conveyor belt is used to extract the seaweed and transfer it straight to shore, while the tractor would be modified to pull it off the sand. In addition, Minister Humphrey reminded how Government spent close to $300,000 Bds acquiring the sargassum harvester along with a tractor and conveyor, once deployed correctly, he said it would help transform the country.

The Minister was on hand to witness the successful implementation and in expressing thanks to the Coast Guard under the command of Lieutenant Commander Rocheford, Minister Humphrey noted how the seaweed harvester was able to dredge sargassum both close to shore and in deeper waters where the seasonal plant life drifts in to Barbadians shores.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

He took time to appreciate all of the relevant departments of the Government of Barbados in making the launch of the Sargassum Harvester a roaring success. @gisbarbados

A post shared by MMABE Barbados (@mmabe_bb) on Jul 10, 2020 at 8:45am PDT

The Minister of Maritime Affairs & the Blue Economy urged for more small businesses to come on board for using sargassum whether as a source of methane for renewable energy or as a means of fertilising crops and lands, and Mr Humphrey appreciated the input of CERMES (the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies) in this regard.

Lieutenant Commander Rocheford stated it was a distinct honour to liaise with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the other departments to conduct a successful operation, he added the Coast Guard will continue to assess the various shorelines of Barbados to determine the most accessible way to deploy the Sargassum Harvester for maximum potential and look forward to more operations of a similar nature in the immediate future.

View this post on Instagram

Barbados Coast Guard going into the logistics involved in making the #Sargassum Harvester a success, in addition to future plans for the equipment. @gisbarbados

A post shared by MMABE Barbados (@mmabe_bb) on Jul 10, 2020 at 8:53am PDT

Plans are already in development to perform similar extractions along Barbados’ southern coastline.