NSW crushes 'dilapidated' boat left on public mooring

The boat had been swinging on the mooring since May despite authorities attempting to “encourage the owner to remove the vessel and dispose of it responsibly which has not happened,” NSW Maritime executive director Mark Hutchings said.

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NSW Maritime commissioned a salvage contractor to remove the “dilapidated” boat by crane before taking it to be broken up and scraped.

“It is the responsibility of owners to dispose of their boats properly and to respect the various forms of moorings available,” Hutchings said.

“These include private moorings which are yellow, commercial moorings which are orange, and pink courtesy moorings which are for recreational boaters to use for up to 24hours only.

“Emergency moorings are blue and are for exclusive use by NSW Maritime, Marine Rescue and NSW Police to store vessels short-term, during an emergency,” he said.

NSW Maritime is also concerned that abandoned boats could sink, polluting the waterways and becoming a navigation hazard.

It has also issued a warning to private mooring owners, saying they should be carrying out “regular checks” to ensure the boats tied to them would not break away.

“A boat owner whose boat breaks away can be responsible, and not covered by insurance if it causes damage to other moored vessels, maritime infrastructure, the environment or other boating users,” NSW Maritime said.

“To ensure the mooring is installed correctly, boat owners should engage an experienced mooring contractor for the annual service, which is a requirement as part of a mooring agreement, and use only quality materials.”

Moorings in NSW require annual inspections to meet state government standards and insurance company requirements.

NSW Maritime said it recommended mooring owners use experienced mooring contractors and only quality materials for repairs.

“The mooring must be serviced as a minimum once a year to maintain it in good order and condition,” NSWM said.

“Proof of mooring service must be produced to NSW Roads and Maritime on request.”

It said failure to service a mooring could result in cancellation of the private mooring licence, as well as its owner defaulting on insurance cover for the boat.

Queensland has declared war on its abandoned wrecks, setting aside $20 million as part of a year-long campaign to remove abandoned and sunken boats from waterways.

Where it can, it tries to hit up owners to recover the cost of removing the boats.