Feb. 28, 2007 – Crown Bay Marina is now the only marina facility on St. Thomas (an official port of entry for the U.S. Virgin Islands) that has been certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) officials to handle, store and incinerate 'regulated garbage' as defined by Federal code, according to Carole Dudley, director of operations of Crown Bay Marina.
U.S. Federal law requires that vessels entering U.S. waters, including the U.S.V.I., Puerto Rico, and other insular U.S. possessions, that have visited a foreign port within a given period, must properly dispose of certain onboard waste, defined as USDA/APHIS 'regulated garbage,' upon arrival. "Crown Bay is a working marina that understands what services today's international yachting professionals want most," says Dudley, "and solving this long-standing enigma of onboard waste disposal was at the top of the list."
Dudley also said that while the incineration of USDA/APHIS 'regulated garbage' isn't the most glamorous new amenity Crown Bay Marina could think to offer, it is the only service to simultaneously help ease a vessel's port entry, avoid substantial penalties for noncompliance, and reduce the risks of being boarded while in port, or questioned at subsequent ports.
Mariners are advised to visit the recently revamped Crown Bay Marina Web site at www.crownbay.com to learn more about its new garbage disposal service, and link to official government sources for specific USDA/APHIS 'regulated garbage' information, including: which vessels must comply; what types of garbage are regulated; which Federal regulations apply; and penalties for noncompliance.
Professionally managed by Marina Management Services Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla., the marina is a full service facility that boasts a 315- foot fuel dock with high-speed dispensers for competitively priced Texaco fuel and 99 wet slips with drafts to 15 feet, including a total of 16 alongside and stern-to berths catering especially to mega-yachts.
Crown Bay Marina's in-slip amenities feature dockside metered water, metered power [single and 3-phase: 30, 50, 100 amp service available; 110, 220, 208, and 480 Volt capability], and telephone hookups, as well as direct broadcast satellite television availability and high-speed broadcast Internet access.
The marina can be contacted by calling 774-2255, faxing 776-2760 or visiting www.crownbay.com.