Français
The year 2025 was marked by unprecedented episodes of sargassum strandings in Saint Barthélemy. June and July were the most intense months. The local authorities were forced to put in place an emergency plan involving the island's transport companies and the fisheries committee (with which a partnership agreement worth €120,000 was signed as part of the anti-sargassum plan). President Xavier Lédée has stated on several occasions that the budget allocated to sargassum collection in 2025 exceeded €3 million. At the territorial council meeting on October 23, a management cost of €7.5 million was put forward (JSB 1637). This high amount includes a study and project management plan to install sea barriers, which, however, are not expected to be completed before 2027, as announced at the same territorial council meeting on October 23. Consequently, in 2026, the combination of collection, storage, and removal will still be in place.
On Wednesday, January 14, the elected members of the executive council signed a framework service agreement for the removal of sargassum with the company Évolution travaux publics (ETP). The agreement is valid for one year and "renewable three times by tacit agreement."
The contract covers three lots, all of which have been awarded to ETP. The first consists of maintaining the pile of sargassum stored in Saint-Jean (on plot AK 629) for €60,000. The second concerns the removal and land-based reprocessing of sargassum, for €3 million. Finally, the third lot covers the removal and "release" of sargassum into the sea, for a fixed price of €1 million. However, questions were raised during the session.
Resembling a landfill
First Vice President Marie-Hélène Bernier recently spoke on the subject via a so-called "social" network after visiting the sargassum storage site in Saint-Jean. The elected representative deplored the accumulation "on land belonging to the Collectivité" of "waste abandoned in the open air, end-of-life vehicles, scrap metal, visible pollution, left untreated and with no respect for the environment." In fact, the site looks like an illegal dump. The huge pile of decomposing sargassum is accompanied by a wide variety of other waste. The question was therefore raised as to how this sargassum would be treated and where it would be sent, as it should be removed by barge.
When contacted by email on Wednesday, January 14, the head of the Collectivité's communications department explained: "To date, there is no framework agreement authorizing the dumping of sargassum at sea. The administrative process necessary to implement this solution is underway. The dedicated contract has been voted on. The signature will take place after the legality check, which is currently pending. The cleanup of the site is scheduled, and the sargassum will be removed by barge. Given the large volumes to be processed, Paprec is not in a position to receive them. As for the other waste present on the site, its removal can begin gradually as soon as Paprec has removed its stock of end-of-life vehicles. Furthermore, the companies concerned were given formal notice several months ago." It is precisely this delay in taking action that has been criticized by the first vice president.
After visiting the Saint-Jean site, Marie-Hélène Bernier remarked: "This is blatant irresponsibility, flagrant inconsistency, and total disregard for the commitments made. You can't preach 'zero waste' in air-conditioned conference rooms while allowing your own public land to be used as a dumping ground. " The elected official therefore chose to vote "against" the framework agreement, justifying her decision by stating that she considers the contract "inconsistent with her environmental values."
Information gathered from members of the executive council confirms that the sargassum stored in Saint-Jean should be sent to Saint-Martin. The "freshly" collected seaweed, on the other hand, will be dumped back into the sea.
