mesh, a bulldozer and a crane that was offloading its cargo onto the supposedly protected island of Sipadan, was blown aground destroying corals at the famous drop-off last April.

Divers who are now banned from living on the island, are asking what was this barge doing there in the first place and why are large quantities of building materials being unloaded on Sipadan - what is being built there?
The answer is, the barge was carrying materials for a restaurant and clubhouse/toilets being constructed by the government, and the barge operator decided to ignore regulations and placed his barge, and the eco-system of the island, at risk in order to save money on off-loading offshore onto smaller boats, the required method. The results of this stupidity will be visible for many years to come.

Local dive operators we spoke to after the accident said the actual amount of damage was relatively small and confined to a section of the reef adjacent to the pier, but they also bemoaned the dual standards that seem to apply in the enforcement of regulations designed to protect the islands from just such a disaster from happening.