Sunken Debt: New legislation to address Alaska's abandoned vessel problem.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: ENVIRONMENTAL

Alaskans depend on boats for numerous reasons, from commercial fishermen using them to make a living or commercial tugs and barges moving freight and fuel to subsistence users catching fish to feed their families and recreational boaters spending time on the states pristine waters. But what happens when a vessel comes to the end of its useful life? How do boat owners dispose of unneeded or damaged vessels?

In many cases, they don't. In Alaska, as in a number of other states, abandoned vessels are a huge issue. Steamboat Slough outside Bethel, for example, is home to many abandoned boats, from fish processing vessels to dismantled barges that are waiting for time--or state or federal agencies--to end them.

"When you talk about abandoned vessels, what has frequently happened is that at the end of its useful life, the owner wanted to get rid of it because it had become a liability," explains Dan Magone, Alaska operations manager of Resolve Marine Group. "They find some one who will buy it for a song." Unfortunately, these novices have no idea what they're getting involved in. They buy it dirt cheap, thinking they got a great deal, and then find out they don't have the resources to deal with it. Insurance requirements to make it seaworthy can cost a fortune.

"The boat ends up getting tied to a dock or along a river and gradually gets in worse shape. Sometimes it sinks," he adds. "And more often than not, the person who now owns it has no insurance and no assets. And you're talking hundreds or thousands of dollars, even millions to solve the problem. So there the boat sits."

"There are cases where a vessel is moved from one harbor to another all the way up the West Coast," adds Bernie Rosenberger, diving operations manager for Alaska at Global Diving & Salvage. "As the owner can't pay the fees, they keep moving it toward Alaska, with the boat getting sold for $50 on a bar napkin. It ends up here, and the person who owns it can't pay to dock it. They're driven out of the harbor, the boat is put on anchor, and sometimes it sinks."

Unlike some other states, Alaska doesn't have a title system for vessels, and though they are supposed to be registered, there's no real way to track ownership. The state also doesn't require hull, pollution, or liability insurance, and doesn't require inspections for seaworthiness before a vessel can be sold.

Passing the Buck

When the owner has no assets, an abandoned vessel becomes someone else's problem--whether...