Kralendijk Town Moorings (50 moorings)
With its slogan, PUMP IT – DON’T DUMP IT, HVM will provide 2 sewage pump-out locations at the marina with the effort to stop sewage discharge from yachts into the pristine waters of Bonaire. Discharging sewage overboard can spread disease, harm marine life, impact nutrient levels in the water and compromise the reef.
Harbour Village Marina’s Managing Director, Mr. Frank Gonzalez, expresses his commitment towards stopping sewage pollution into the Marine Park, especially after learning about the alarming findings and conclusions of the study done by Gerard van Erp. This study was commissioned by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF-NL) and in collaboration with STINAPA, the Public Entity of Bonaire (OLB) and Water en Energiebedrif Bonaire (WEB). Together they operate as a team under the name Water Circles in projects aimed at reducing the impact of untreated sewage on Bonaire’s reefs. Mr. Gonzalez is pleased to learn of STINAPAS’s commitment to enforcing Article 4 of the Eilandsbesluit Onderwaterpark Bonaire, where it is strictly forbidden to discharge sewage or chemicals in the waters of the Bonaire National Marine Park.
Mr. Gonzalez confirmed that preparations are already under way and is estimated that by the end of October 2021 Harbour Village Marina will have a state-of-the-art vacuum pump out system in place. The Water Circles team supports this initiative and together with Mr. Gonzalez, they emphasize the importance of the yachting community’s participation and awareness towards this project. Proper disposing of boat sewage will make a difference in the water quality and will help to preserve the coral reef. The success of this project will require that ALL BOATS be equipped with a Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) consisting of holding tanks and “Y” valves to redirect sewage disposal from overboard to a deck fitting in the boat.
Harbour Village Marina is also in talks with STINAPA about providing a service at the Town Moorings with a pump-out boat, but this may take a bit longer since it requires a lead time for the fabrication and importing such specialized Pump-Out boat into Bonaire.
In the meantime, we hope that by providing onshore waste collection facilities, we can all start to make a difference, and remember: PUMP IT – DON’T DUMP IT!
