Queensland’s war on wrecks ‘ready to step up’

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) has warned that the state’s war on wrecks – the campaign to clear up the hundreds of derelict boats littering its waterways – is about to get ugly.

In a statement released this week, MSQ hinted that owners who did not address the problem could be hit with the full cost of the government stepping in to clean up after them.

“Sadly, our frequent use of the term [derelict vessels] reflects the reality that our waterways have become the resting place for far too many unseaworthy ships and boats abandoned by their owners,” MSQ said in a statement.

“Quite simply, derelict vessels have become, at best, an ugly blight on our waterways and, at worst, a safety and pollution risk.

“Maritime Safety Queensland has done its best, within the limitations of its legal powers and budget, to tackle the issue – leaning on the owners of derelict vessels to do the right thing or intervening to remove the most imminent dangers to maritime safety and the environment when owners fail to act.

“In doing so we’ve become acutely aware that we’ve been battling to hold back a rising tide of irresponsibility.”

However, in July the Palaszczuk state qovernment announced a specially appointed crack squad would receive a $20 million war chest to help it force owners to remove the sinking, sunk and abandoned boats from the state’s waterways.

MSQ said reading through the terms of reference guiding the taskforce showed the fighting fund “is not intended to be a sugar hit to provide short-term relief to a symptom while ignoring the underlying disease that would allow it to flourish all over again”.

“In the short term it means those who own unseaworthy vessels currently littering our waterways can expect the taskforce to be coming after them. If the fighting fund has to be used to remove their vessels, they can expect to be pursued for reimbursement,” it said.

“Alternatively, owners of vessels that are already derelict or at risk of becoming so, will have an opportunity to come forward by contacting Maritime Safety Queensland to facilitate their removal from the water.

“This does not mean owners will not ultimately be held responsible for the costs of doing so, but we might be able to discuss ways to keep those costs down,” MSQ stated.

The Qld Government says it may consider classing abandoned wrecks as illegal dumping, meaning owners of larger boats could be hit with fines as large as $130,000.

Queensland has more than 260,000 registered recreational vessels and about 15,000 commercial vessels operating on its waterways.