T/V Margara Grounding, Talboa, PR (2006)

In 2006, the MRU team assisted Continental Shelf Associates, Inc. with coral reef damage assessment, remediation, and restoration efforts in response to the grounding of the 228-m oil tanker T/V Margara off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The MRU team assisted in identifying over 8,500 m² of impacted reef which included a relatively large thicket of threatened staghorn coral. The emergency restoration work at the impact site focused on the time-sensitive task of securing salvaged corals with underwater cement, rebuilding portions of the impacted reef, and removing toxic anti-fouling paint from the site.

In collaboration with the NOAA Restoration Center, Sea Ventures used coral fragments from this grounding to create a nursery near Guayanilla. Since then, the nursery has expanded allowing NOAA to outplant hundreds of colonies of staghorn coral to other restoration sites in the region.