US-based salvage specialist Donjon Marine managed to lift the 100ft passenger catamaran Royal Miss Belmar off rocks near Great St James Cay in the US Virgin Islands in late August without damaging coral colonies at the site. The catamaran grounded while approaching St Thomas harbour on 4 July during a special holiday voyage outside her normal ferry run. To save coral from any damage, Donjon mobilised its 400-ton capacity derrick barge Columbia from New York, which was towed south by the company’s 3,000hp tug Mary Alice. The catamaran was then loaded onto the deck of the Columbia and delivered to a shipyard.
