Canadian Coastguard acts against marine polluting vessel. The Canadian Coast Guard recently exercised its authority under the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act to issue a $12,000 fine, in the form of an administrative monetary penalty, to a vessel owner in Quebec. On July 3, 2024, the Canadian Coast Guard issued a fine to the owner of an unnamed 6.4-meter pleasure craft in the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu area. The vessel was found to pose a hazard to the marine environment and to the public based on the following criteria:
- Pollution hazard and risks posed by debris and materials not intended to be submerged;
- Risk of injury to boaters in the area who have easy access to the wreck;
- Risk of the wreck breaking off and drifting in a fast-flowing, busy river; and,
- Danger of shoreline erosion caused by the wreck.
The issuance of this fine comes after the vessel owner failed to comply with the Canadian Coast Guard’s directions to remove the vessel and take all reasonable measures to prevent pollution from entering the marine environment by April 4, 2024. Due to the hazards posed by the vessel, the Canadian Coast Guard had it removed from the marine environment.
Owners are responsible for the costs of addressing their problem vessel. This includes clean-up or repairs, and any remediation action taken by the Canadian Coast Guard. The Canadian Coast Guard works with vessel owners to address their problem vessels. The issuance of a penalty is a last resort when all other avenues have been exhausted. The owner was required to pay within 30 days or to apply for a review hearing with the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada. Under the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, the Canadian Coast Guard is required to publicly report the penalties issued to vessel owners on its website.
The Canadian Coast Guard asks for the public’s assistance in reporting wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels.
Quick facts
- Vessel owners are responsible for maintaining and keeping their vessels in good working order, and properly disposing of the vessel when it reaches the end of its life.
- The Canadian Coast Guard maintains a publicly available national inventory of problem vessels across Canada to better track these vessels and help prioritize which ones should be dealt with first. To date, over 2,000 wrecked, abandoned, or hazardous vessels have been reported.
- Since 2016, under the Oceans Protection Plan, the Government of Canada has funded over 580 projects to remove and dispose of wrecked, abandoned, or hazardous vessels across Canada and has made it illegal to abandon a vessel in Canadian waters.