| USA. Salvage of Perini Navi megayacht Legacy halted and in the hands of attorneys |
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| Monday, 11 September 2006 | |
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Marian Martin The salvage of the 48 metre sailing yacht Legacy, which should have been completed in July, has been halted. A spokesperson for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary told BYM News. “I cannot give any details, as the matter is in the hands of attorneys, but I can confirm that the salvage attempt has been halted.” Fas-Dam, a private engineering company specialising in flexible cofferdams, was to have salvaged the yacht in July. The plan was to build a 500 foot long cofferdam around the Legacy, which would then have been filled with sea water, so that the yacht floated and could be moved to the end of the dam. The operation would then have been repeated until the vessel reached deep water. The Legacy, which has been valued at $13 million, was driven into the shallow seagrass beds, off the Florida Keys, by hurricane Wilma and has remained there ever since. Asked why seagrass was of such importance that it prevented the salvage of such a valuable yacht, the Sanctuary spokeswoman said “Seagrass performs many important functions; in particular it provides a habitat and nursery for many species of commercial fish, including grouper, snapper, pink fish, shrimps as well as the bone fish, which is of importance in recreational fishing. It also keeps the water clear by trapping sediments and its roots stabilise the sea bed and prevent erosion.” She added “This yacht caused considerable damage when it went aground.” The Legacy is just one of about 400 yachts that were driven ashore during hurricane Wilma. The Sanctuary is undertaking removal of most of these yachts and expects to sell any that remain useable, by auction. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 11 September 2006 ) |
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