Rum_Pirate
Well-Known Member
I hope that they do not find any oil there.
http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-news/6251-oil-exploration-on-saba-bank-closer-.html
PHILIPSBURG--Exploration for crude oil on the Saba Bank, the largest submarine atoll (coral island) in the Atlantic Ocean, has moved a step forward with the board of Saba Bank Petroleum Resource N.V. taking the decision to allow Emerald Petroleum, a small oil drilling company, to begin the search.
About one-third of the Saba Bank lies within Saba territorial waters, 12-nautical-mile (22 km) zone, while the remaining two thirds fall within the limits of the Economic Fisheries Zone (EFZ) of the Netherlands Antilles.
The Saba Bank company, headed by parliamentarian William Johnson, met on St. Maarten Saturday. Ahead of the meeting, Johnson told the press the decision of the board would be a positive one so the work can start.
The decision of the board has to be followed up by the shareholders of the Saba Bank – the Central Government and the Lt. Governors of Saba, St. Maarten, and St. Eustatius. The three islands have equal shares in the company, which was started in 1975.
Johnson said the Saba Bank company had asked several other large oil exploration companies to consider exploring the bank, but these have not shown interest in the job. With oil price continuing to increase, and new sources of oil being sought, the Saba Bank is seen as ripe for exploration.
St. Maarten is represented on Saba Bank Petroleum Resources N.V. board by former finance minister Frank Mingo and former Island Councilman, Commissioner Edgar Lynch.
Saba is represented by Johnson and Island Councilman Rolando Wilson. St. Eustatius' interests are overseen by Commissioner Roy Hooker. The Central Government of Netherlands Antilles is also represented on the board.
Commenting on another company owned by the three islands - utilities company GEBE - Johnson said if there continues to be squabbling about how to move forward with the company in the new constitutional status, St. Maarten can trade its share in the Saba Bank for those of GEBE on Saba.
He said it does not matter if St. Maarten or Saba becomes independent in the future, the people of the island will remain together.
According to Wikipedia, Saba Bank's north-eastern side lies about 4.3 kilometres (km) southwest of Saba. It is raised about 1000 metres above the general depths of the surrounding sea floor. With a length of 60 to 65 km and a width of 30 to 40 km, the atoll's total surface area is approximately 2200 square km, as measured from 11-200 metre depth, 1600 square km of which is shallower than 50 metres.
oil exploration on the saba bank
July 26th, 2010
Permission has been given for oil exploration to begin on the Saba Bank:
Exploration for crude oil on the Saba Bank, the largest submarine atoll (coral island) in the Atlantic Ocean, has moved a step forward with the board of Saba Bank Petroleum Resource N.V. taking the decision to allow Emerald Petroleum, a small oil drilling company, to begin the search.
About one-third of the Saba Bank lies within Saba territorial waters, 12-nautical-mile (22 km) zone, while the remaining two thirds fall within the limits of the Economic Fisheries Zone (EFZ) of the Netherlands Antilles.
The Saba Bank company, headed by parliamentarian William Johnson, met on St. Maarten Saturday. Ahead of the meeting, Johnson told the press the decision of the board would be a positive one so the work can start.
The decision of the board has to be followed up by the shareholders of the Saba Bank – the Central Government and the Lt. Governors of Saba, St. Maarten, and St. Eustatius. The three islands have equal shares in the company, which was started in 1975.
Johnson said the Saba Bank company had asked several other large oil exploration companies to consider exploring the bank, but these have not shown interest in the job. With oil price continuing to increase, and new sources of oil being sought, the Saba Bank is seen as ripe for exploration.
http://www.greenantilles.com/2010/07/26/oil-exploration-on-the-saba-bank/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4709594.stm
An underwater mountain with some of the richest diversity of marine life in the Caribbean has been found by scientists.
During a two-week dive researchers discovered scores more species of fish than previously known in the region and vast beds of "seaweed cities".
But the team says the biodiversity hotspot is in danger: oil tankers in the area threaten the fragile reefs.
The researchers are hoping to get the area protected by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The find was made in the Saba Bank Atoll, a coral-crowned seamount, 250km south-east of Puerto Rico in the Netherlands Antilles.
New species
It is ranked as the third largest atoll in the world and has an enormous active reef.
Potentially it [Saba] can be the keystone for protecting biodiversity in the Caribbean
Dr Michael Smith, Conservation International
The dives took place during the first two weeks of January, and involved a scientific team of 12 from Conservation International, the Netherlands Antilles government and the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History, as well as local fisherman.
Scientists chose to explore the area because although it was predicted to have high concentrations of marine life, only a small number of species had been reported.
During the dives, the researchers counted a total of 200 species of fish, over 150 more than previously known.
Among their find were two new species of fish, both gobies, which have the distinctive feature of fused pelvic fins on the underside of their body which forms a sucker.
"Many [gobies] live in the canals inside sponges, so we take samples out of sponges, and open the canals up to search for the small fish that can be in there," explained Dr Smith, a scientist on the expedition from Conservation International.
"When we did that, we found quite an extraordinary one. It's still known from a single specimen, and it is so very very distinctive that it is probably a new genus."
The sighting of vast and luxurious seaweed beds were also astonishing, with at least 12 new species of algae discovered.
Dr Mark Littler, a marine botanist at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History and a diver on the expedition, declared the Saba Bank the richest area for seaweeds in the Caribbean.
Seaweeds form the base of the food chain in coral reefs, from which the rest of biodiversity depends.
"When we add everything together - the species of new fish, the dozen new species of algae - that means during the time we were there we discovered a new species every day. That's pretty exciting," said Dr Smith.
Under threat
However, the biodiversity hotspot could be under threat. A petroleum trans-shipment depot on the nearby island of St Eustatius causes a significant amount of marine traffic.
The big tankers, in order to avoid mooring fees at St Eustatius are said to anchor on the bank, causing significant damage to the reef.
"The anchor for a supertanker is as big as my office, and the links in the chain are as big as my desk. They sweep around and just crush all of the coral. They are enormously destructive," explained Dr Smith.
See more of the marine life found by the team
In pictures
To stop the damage and protect the atoll, the researchers are attempting to get the Saba Bank designated a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) by the IMO.
The 1,500 strong community on Saba Island are responsible for the Bank, and derive about 10% of their economy from it, making the atoll a major source of their livelihood.
Leroy Peterson, a Saba fisherman, called the expedition crucial for protecting Saba Bank's unique marine life.
"Some of the scientists actually found new species not located anywhere else," Peterson said.
"There should be no-anchor zones. For things to survive there must be stricter controls."
Alison Shaw, a marine biologist from the Zoological Society London, added: "By gaining this greater understanding of what lives in the atoll, we can implement better management systems that will provide protection of this resource both for the local community and for the wildlife too."
Dr Smith said that Saba Bank's unique location makes it a prime candidate for conservation.
"It's in an interesting position because many of the Caribbean reefs are close to shore and have damage that is of a land based source," he said.
"But Saba is free of all of that, so potentially it can be the keystone for protecting biodiversity in the Caribbean."