May 5, 2025by: Curtis Hoff No Comments

Policy or Piracy: Dominican Bay Clean-Up Turns Into a S**t Show – Peter Swanson

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Policy or Piracy: Dominican Bay Clean-Up Turns Into a S**tshow

Viable Foreign Boats Seized Along With Derelicts (Video)

Peter Swanson

May 3

Contractors hired by the Dominican government seize and tow away vessels in Luperon Bay as part of a clean-up.

The Dominican Navy this week launched an initiative to clear Luperon Bay of abandoned or derelict boats, and seemed genuinely unconcerned when its representatives were told that some of them were neither abandoned nor derelict.

Contractors in a runabout—at times wearing ski masks like an assassination squad—spray-painted numbers on the hulls of targeted vessels, some of which have been towed to the bulkhead at the local boatyard. Some of those were dragged up a launch ramp with a backhoe to be stripped for parts and lead.

An aide to the President in Santo Domingo said 26 boats were affected. Cliff Lyon, a local expat and officer of Luperon’s cruiser association, estimated that at least six of those were viable craft with absent owners. Except that one guy—a French Canadian sailor—who happened to be ashore in the village when his boat was taken.

Some of the 26 have Dominican owners, who had acquired them as project boats, Lyon said.

As far as the foreign liveaboards in the bay—bafflement. There apparently was no advance notice, no attempt to contact owners and no due process. No one—including local Navy and Port officials—seemed to know who was in charge of the operation. The Port Authority for the bay issued a statement denying any complicity. No one knows what criteria officials are using to decide whether a vessel is abandoned or derelict.

Collaborating with the government contractors is Isaac Alvarez, who has a disputed claim of ownership to Luperon’s only boatyard, Marina Tropicale. Watch how Eddie Ward Rowe, owner of a Nonsuch sailboat, described the boat’s seizure and his dealings with Alvarez.

Ward Rowe’s boat *Elph* may need cleaning but she was not abandoned.

Most of boats that were tagged do resemble the derelict vessels that litter the waters of Florida and other southern U.S. coastal states, but Presidential Aide José Ignacio Paliza implied that the initiative was part of an effort to “restore a beautiful national park.” He was referring to the fact that Luperon Bay has been the scene of dozens of diesel spills over the past two years, as regular Loose Cannon readers are aware.

D.R.’s National ‘Shame’ Continues in Diesel-Soaked Luperon Bay

Peter Swanson

September 3, 2024

Read full story

Whether the Navy has made any effort whatsoever to curb the spills, which were known to come from locally stored fishing vessels, is not public information, but diesel has continued to be spilled as recently as last month. To be sure, many of the targeted vessels were eyesores owned by no one, but to argue they were an immediate threat to the environment while a fleet of commercial craft continues to release petroleum into the mangroves?

Yet, that is what Paliza did in a post on X:

This initiative seeks to mitigate the environmental impact that these structures represent for marine species, the surrounding mangroves and the ecological balance of this Wildlife Reserve, considered an important tourist and environmental attraction.

Paliza briefly posted a government memo which showed that 7.4 million pesos had been budgeted for the clean-up, which is equivalent to more than $125,000—a substantial sum thereabouts. Someone took the post down soon after.

One of the vessels that really was derelict is dragged up the launch ramp at Marina Tropicale.

AVENALUP is an association of foreign cruisers and local business people that lobbies for the bay as a cruising destination. The group issued a statement calling the act of spray-painting numbers on private boats “vandalism” and has contacted a maritime lawyer.

The response from owners and caretakers of targeted vessels has varied. Some set about painting over the painted numbers. Others used scrub brushes to apply soapy waters to make boats more presentable.

People in the harbor are now quoting authorities as saying boats might be saved from the scrapyard by having past harbor fees paid, thus confirming active ownership, even though the customary practice is to wait until departure to pay any fee balance. Some have called for a boycott of Marina Tropicale because of its role in the affair.

Whatever the outcome, Luperon’s efforts to build an economy around “nautical tourism” took another hit last week.

Dirty but Serviceable

LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.