Six people, including two visitors from the UK, who were travelling onboard a motorboat on Sunday afternoon reported a frightening encounter with live ammunition near the Crabb’s Peninsula rifle range.
Terrence Nunes, who was captaining the vessel around 3:30pm, described seeing bullets striking the water approximately 20 to 50 feet from their boat, while navigating around the peninsula’s headland.
“I could see the splashes of the water just like the movies. Bullets going into the water and a long splash coming up in the air,” Nunes reported.
Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin, responding to the incident, maintained that proper protocols were followed.
“The Crabb’s rifle range is an active range,” Benjamin stated. “Notices are sent out to all mariners via the VHF system when the range is in use, and on Sunday, that is exactly what happened.”
He added that air traffic control was also notified about the active range.
Further review of international boating regulations and local laws reveal that all registered vessels are required to monitor VHF Channel 16 for safety announcements, in line with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standards and the Telecommunications Act.
Brigadier General Benjamin emphasized that having a working VHF radio is mandatory for all registered vessels.
“If they don’t have a radio, they are going contrary to the provisions made for all mariners … pay attention to VHF 16 because this is the practice that has been going on since time immemorial,” he stated.
While Nunes has a VHF radio, he admitted he relies more on his cell phone when he travelled on trips to Bird Island or Green Island.
He added that many “hardcore boaters” he spoke with claimed they rarely get these VHF alerts.
Nunes and his passengers, though unharmed, were shaken by the experience.
“We were all shaken up after we realized what it was,” hes said, adding that the incident could have had fatal consequences.
The matter has been reported to authorities, including the Commissioner of Police, who directed the complainant to contact the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) headquarters for further clarification.
Despite the reassurances from the ABDF, Nunes remains deeply concerned about the possibility of stray bullets reaching public waters, stating that he was concerned for kayakers, who may not have VHF radios for emergency communication.
