NANAIMO — A fisheries deadline is nearing for the removal of a 60-tonne derelict sailboat from its watery grave off Protection Island.
The 40-year-old Valkyrian II hasn’t moved from where she sank near the Dingy Dock pub in October. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans says removal work must take place between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15 to protect sensitive ocean habitat. On average, the Nanaimo Port Authority deals with four or five derelict vessels each year.
This boat is so big and heavy it will require heavy equipment to move at an estimated cost of at least $30,000.
Nanaimo Port Authority staff have been working with the boat’s Campbell River owner, but they say he recently became unco-operative.
“He’s been pretty quiet this last week,” said Rod Grounds, officer in charge of patrolling the Nanaimo harbour. “I think it’s going to reach a point we’ll have to take matters a little further.”
That could mean taking on the cost of the vessel removal, then using legal means to get compensation from the owner.
“We are at the point where action has to be taken,” said Ed Dahlgren, port authority manager of marine operations and harbour master. “It’s a deadline: Take action, or I will.”
Some Protection Island residents are losing patience waiting for someone to remove the eyesore.
“Most people aren’t appreciative of it,” said Dave Carter, dock committee head with the Protection Island Neighbourhood Association. “People would like to see it cleaned up. I personally would like to see the owner held responsible. I’m a mariner myself and I don’t like to see boat owners sloughing off their responsibilities.”
Forcing the owner to act is not easy under Canadian marine law.
“Unfortunately, there’s this process and it’s not as fast as people would like,” Dahlgren said.
The Nanaimo Port Authority won’t release the name of the boat’s owner due to privacy concerns. But “once we take possession of the vessel, we can release the information,” Dahlgren said.
Because of its concrete and metal construction, heavy equipment will be needed to break up the hull and remove it.
The owner “has not been able to supply us with a work plan or any documentation, or what company he’s going to be using,” Grounds said.
Removal is estimated to take about a week, so if the owner does nothing, the port authority will hire its own crews to start the project before the second week of February.
