War on Wrecks: 106 clean-ups and counting

We’re continuing to make good progress through the War on Wrecks. Since the program started in July 2018 we’ve removed 106 abandoned vessels and pieces of property from our beautiful waterways.

This includes fishing boats, small yachts, pontoons, tenders, runabouts and tinnies.

The vessel pictured above was recently removed from Loder’s Creek. This was one was tricky because it was buried in mud in an environmentally sensitive area. A comprehensive environmental management plan was developed to enable the wreck to be removed and disposed of appropriately.

We’ve ramped up our efforts to remove these vessels, treating them as a priority and working to clear them up as soon as we become aware of them. This happens either as a result of our monitoring patrols which we conduct with our partner agency, Maritime Safety Queensland or through reports from the community.

We’re also continuing to contribute to the development of policy changes to deal with complex issues such as the adequacy of insurance coverage and disposal options for unseaworthy vessels through the War on Wrecks Taskforce, on which we’re represented. The Taskforce has recently held public hearings to gather community and industry views on how these issues could be dealt with more effectively.

We’re also working to reduce the cost to taxpayers and to date, have recovered over $200,000 in costs since the War on Wrecks began.

We’re committed to ensuring safe access to our waterways network and we encourage people who spot an abandoned vessel to continue reporting them to us either by phoning our office on 5539 7350 or emailing mail@ydsgroup2.com.au so that we can remove these hazards from our waterways.