Another derelict vessel has sunk in Porpoise Bay and no one’s taking responsibility for it.
The sailboat, which had been showing signs of taking on water for weeks, slipped below the surface on Feb. 27.
Resident Cavin Crawford had been raising concerns about the derelict vessel since he first noticed it in the bay a few months earlier and he was distressed that the boat sank without any action from the District of Sechelt or any other level of government.
“This boat was left at a mooring and abandoned. This is criminal. Now we have three sunken boats in Porpoise Bay. No one cares,” Crawford said.
“If I go out in my small boat the RCMP can inspect my boat and give me tickets for no running lights or bailer or fire extinguisher, but derelict boats get nothing.”
Often owners of derelict boats at risk of sinking can’t be located as there is no record of their ownership and they rarely visit the vessels. For that reason, costs to deal with sinking vessels can’t be passed on to owners in most cases, and the cleanup costs are large.
Vessels have to be towed to shore to be disassembled, then any environmentally hazardous items onboard (like oil and gas) have to be disposed of safely and the rest of the boat’s scrap separated and taken to the dump for a fee that’s calculated by weight.
It can easily cost upwards of $10,000 to dispose of a derelict boat.
Concerned residents like Crawford have been pressing governments for a solution to the problem, but it’s slow coming.
When contacted for comment this week, the District of Sechelt said it would not respond to the derelict sailboat that sank on Feb. 27 because it was outside of the municipality’s jurisdiction.
That would put the vessel within federal waterways, and an email to MP Pam Goldsmith Jones’ office fetched the response that work is underway to address the issue nationwide.
“There is funding earmarked under the Oceans Protection Plan and the process for this is still being worked out,” constituency assistant Lucie McKiernan said in an email.
“Hopefully we will have more news very soon.”
Until something is figured out, Crawford said, derelict vessels will likely keep showing up in Porpoise Bay, as there’s nothing being done to deter it.
“Why wouldn’t they?”
