A 35-foot sailboat that apparently came loose from a mooring some four weeks ago remains grounded on the rocks near Queen Elizabeth II Park.
Meanwhile, promised legislation that would clarify the way government deals with derelict vessels appears to have stalled in the House of Assembly.
Under the 2001 Merchant Shipping Act, the receiver of wrecks — the BVI Shipping Registry — has the authority to deal with wrecked vessels, including notifying owners and disposing of unclaimed vessels.
During an emergency, the 2003 Disaster Management Act also empowers the Department of Disaster Management to order a derelict or abandoned vessel’s removal if it poses a danger to people or property.
But officials have said that a new Disaster Management Act is needed to enable government to properly deal with the many derelict vessels in the territory’s waters, some of which have posed safety hazards during recent storms.
A draft of that law was introduced in the House of Assembly in October, but it was never passed.
The law would give the director of the VISR explicit power to issue notices that would require owners to remove “any vessel or other object sunk, stranded or abandoned in the national waters.”
The draft also calls for fines up to $10,000 for not complying.
BVI Shipping Registry Director John Samuel didn’t return calls seeking comment on the sailboat.
See the May 8, 2014 edition for full coverage.
{fcomment}