Star of the Sea provides disaster relief after La Soufriére eruption

The 34.02 metre Benetti superyacht Star of the Sea has been providing first-response disaster relief in St Vincent and the Grenadines after La Soufriére volcano erupted on the island of St Vincent.

Star of the Sea is normally based at the island of Bequia, where she offers guests at Bequia Beach Hotel a chance to explore the bountiful cruising grounds of the Grenadines. After La Soufriére erupted multiple times on Friday April 9, she has instead been helping local residents by offering urgent transportation and supplies.

According to the UWI Seismic Research Centre, the volcanic eruption produced a vertical ash column estimated to have risen approximately four kilometres into the atmosphere, and pyroclastic flows and surges will have affected the areas closest to the volcano. Houses and roads have also been covered in a thick layer of falling ash.

An estimated 16,000 people would have been impacted when they were called to evacuate from their homes. The Facebook page of Bequia Beach Hotel described that the plume of ash was “visible from over 40 miles away in Canouan whilst sailing.” The volcano last erupted on almost exactly the same date 42 years ago, on Friday April 13.

Although a timely evacuation order ensured no casualties, locals have been suffering from power outages and water supplies have been cut off in some areas.

In order to assist NGO Global Empowerment Mission as it provides relief to locals, Star of the Sea, which normally accommodates up to 12 guests and seven crew, has helped ferry first-response personnel from Canouan to St Vincent to attend to the scene of the eruption.

The superyacht has also transported four metric tonnes of emergency supplies purchased by her owner, Bengt Mortstedt, which included over 2,500 bottles of water and sanitary supplies for displaced families from St. Vincent.

Scientists have predicted that the aftermath of the eruptions could last weeks, so Star of the Sea will be busy in the days to come as she continues to provide assistance to locals.