Role Foundation

Friday 22nd August, 2008

Selamat Galungan……………….We have just completed 4 days of holidays. Independence day, last Monday and then 3 days of Galungan. Galungan is the Hindu celebration of the victory of good over evil, or light over darkness. I am assured that, good will always prevail. This is reassuring news.

Chris Moore has been communicating everyday with the Salvage team that was sent in by the Water Police.
They should complete their task to cut up and take all the metal parts away, over the 4-5 days.
They have been burning off the wreck as they go, to get at the metal parts.
We have been inspecting the ever reducing wreck on a regular basis and have pulled off the reef, as much as possible, any hazardous parts, that are near or nearing the line up.
But as the wreck has not been secured since first fire and is being broken up into ever smaller pieces, it is near impossible to stop larger pieces from floating around on the high tides.

We are in constant contact with the Salvage team’s boss and will send the Role team in for a final clean up of the reef, rocks and back beach as soon as they are 100% finished.
Yesterday, Role’s new Marine Biologist Chris Mason-Parker arrived in Bali and immediately checked the wreck over. He is going to do an environmental assessment for Role, as soon as the salvage team has completed their task.
best……….Mike

PS…………Marine Revival and Ocean Recourses Management Program………..Check out the Abalone Farming report on the website. In Roles role to create Eco-Friendly jobs and businesses for the Coastal Communities of the Bukit and Southern Bali, Role has been helping the Geger Beach Seaweed Association, Nusa Dua, establish Abalone Ocean-farming business. This is to help secure the future of the Seaweed Farmers, who are under threat from Coastal Developments, as property prices spiral upward. The shell from Abalone farming will replace over time the destruction practices of wild shell attainment off the reefs for jewelry industry. The fresh abalone meat will be served in local restaurants. With the arrival of Role’s new Program Manager, Marine Biologist Chris Mason-Parker, Role is committed to helping create a sustainable future for all.

Role is now waiting on the a salvaging team from the you know who, to cut up and take the metal pieces away.
We are communicating on a daily basis with the Teams boss. We plan to clean up the parts and rubbish off the reef on Wednesday or Thursday.
Here is the latest photo update.

Best………..Mike

Now that the shipwreck has half burnt, the contractor for the you know who are in with the hot knife/oxy to cut up the miles of cooling pipes, the engine and the 2 generators and various other metal objects. Cut out only items left of any value.

6th……….6.30am…… Mike and Chris arrived on the scene and went down the Padang Padang back beach cliffs and along the beach to the still burning wreck. We quickly surveyed the still burning wreck and departed back up the cliff. After just half an hour Chris and I had a headache from the toxic fumes, the fumes were everywhere.
Thou the resin epoxy had burnt, the fiber glass mat had not burnt so well and was everywhere in small pieces and in clusters of strands for up to 500 meters away toward Ulu’s . The toxic smell was reported from Nyang Nyang to Balangan, even thou the winds were light southeast trades.
We tied the remainder of the Rp. 5 million worth of ropes on to the propeller as best we could in an attempt to stop her from moving on the high tide.

By 3 pm, that afternoon the subcontractors arrived and actual put out the fire with sea water, so they could start work on retrieving all things metal.
There were 3 men sitting in amongst a toxic smolder with oxy gear cutting up the metal. They had NO masks or gas filters. How the oxy bottles did not explode is a mystery. The toxic fume must be a sure killer.

After many calls to the Local Government Chris was told that the Government could do nothing and had no control over the Water Police.
Hands up……we were on our own. What a waste of so much time.

7th………….6.30am… We surveyed the smoldering wreck again. This time no flames. We climb on her side.
She was being disemboweled amongst charcoaled fiber glass.
No there was dead sea life everywhere. It appears that the fumes and burning fiberglass had killed off any life that survived the oil/diesel mix from 2 weeks before.

Met the subcontractor for the you know who and discussed his mission. His mission was to cut up and take away all things metal and leave the rest. We asked him to try to hurry up and do his things, so we could organize a final clean up. He said he would, but he missed most of the morning low tide and his staff arrived around 9am……….banker’s hours

We clean up the burnt ropes and the large pieces of fiber matting.
We really now need to wait until these guys finish and have a final clean up. It could be huge.

Talked with the locals………..they are not happy.

“Mother Nature is sailing toward Eco-Disaster Reef on a Ship named GREED.”
An estimated 200-300,000 ships throw their crap over board, EVERDAY.

Best………..Mike

Three truck loads of engine parts, God knows how many gallons of gasoline and up in smoke she goes, on fire. Up she goes. Supposedly, the Chief says the advice to burn came from Australia.

all photo credit of Brian Firth

6.30 am Chris speeds out to Padang Padang. He proceeds to inspects the wreck and tightens all the ropes securing what is left of the vessel. The day before they had cut off most of the metal railings, half way through the propeller and hammered small holes into and around the hull.

all photo credit of Brian Firth

We prepared for our meeting with the middle person. We needed to know what was going on. Little did we know!!!
We decided it would be better for Chris would meet alone with this person. It turned out to be more than the one normal middle person. They were an hour and a half late. They arrived at 9.30 am.
They showed Chris the papers from the owner giving them the rights to the wreck.
Of course we had no way to see if they were the correct papers or not, and they would not give Chris a copy or let him handle them.
Chris asked to see the release papers. They said they needed none. They said they would cut up the wreck and take it away. Chris hinted we would come up with some funds, if they could assure us, that the wreck would be demolished and taken away in an Eco-Friendly manner.
They wanted money up front. But from experience, this was not a good idea. (He was to be proven correct, later in the day.) Three times currency had been past over in the past and tree times promises were broken and nothing done. 11 am the meeting was over. They were only interested in money.

all photo credit of Brian Firth

Chris called to Mr. Wayan Puspa at the Local Badung Government. He was in Jakarta. He called to the Chief and was told the wreck would be cut up and not to worry.
7pm…………..Reports came in from Padang Padang that the wreck was on fire. Tim Russo raced over there to find the Chief standing there oversee operations. The huge volume of toxic smoke was heading out to sea and over to Java. It was hard to see in the fading light. The wreck was ablaze.
Around 9pm……… 3 truck loads of goodies went past the observation point and were on their way to Benoa harbor.
We will get to the wreck site early in the morning to inspect the environmental impact of the blaze, and start the clean up.
We presume they will not be finished scavenging, or whatever you call it, so the clean up may take some time.

This is just one example of what pressures; the people of Bali are under. All this Environmental Damage/Disaster can go on, right under everybody’s nose and we/they are powerless to do anything.
So sad.

Best…………..Mike

The ASP, WCT, Ripcurl Pro SOMEWHERE contest was barely over, when at first out going low tide in the afternoon, the following day, drilling and cutting had begun in earnest to free the huge engine, the 2 generators and cooling pipes/system, etc., from breaking wreck.

Our worst fears could be coming true, we thought………….They would take the only things of value left and leave the toxic fiberglass wreck to break up and spread around the Padang Padang/Ulu’s/Impossibles, line up and beaches.

The Surf Contest was scheduled for completion on the 10th August. These thieves had inside info. We will call them thieves because when questioned, they had NO release forms from the Water Police.
These guys don’t surf, so how come they knew so quickly that the event was over? Especially since the Surf Contest was scheduled for completion on the 10th August. These thieves had inside info. We will call them thieves because when questioned, they had NO release forms from the Water Police and were there at the request of a middle person.

Chris called the Insurance Company in Taiwan. They had paid out in full to the owner and now the wreck was now the concern of the owner again. The owner was in Taiwan and obviously did not want anything more to do with the wreck. It was a nightmare for him and if he closed his eyes long enough, it might just go away.
I asked Chris to telephone the middle person, and hint we could pay some more funds if the wreck was cleaned up and taken away properly. She agreed to an 8.30 am meeting the following day. More $$$$$$, yeh baby, she was on to that.
Chris telephoned the two, local government offices, but both guys were out.
We must push to get some Water Police security on the wreck and make sure the whole thing is taking away in an orderly Eco-Friendly fashion, with written approval from the authorities.

Role Foundation will see this Padang Padang Ship Wreck Clean Up through to the end.
We have now released projections and funds needed. They are posted on the website along with the donors.

Best…………..Mike