No. 07-092
August 9, 2007
Contact: Bob Redling, 360-902-1149, bob.redling@dnr.wa.gov
Melissa Montgomery: 360-902-1574; dvrp@dnr.wa.gov
DNR Removes Derelict Vessel, FAL-91/Kopcakoe, From Totten Inlet Near Olympia
Former fishing trawler was listing, contained hazardous materials
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today towed a derelict fishing vessel from Totten Inlet near Olympia to a temporary mooring in Tacoma’s Commencement Bay. The vessel is known as FAL-91/Kopcakoe.
The Kopcakoe’s owner failed to clean up environmental hazards on the ship and was cited last year by the state Department of Ecology for making illegal ship repairs that raised concerns about potential damage to water quality and nearby fish and shellfish habitats. The vessel’s owner brought it to the inlet, located at the southwestern-most point of Puget Sound, despite a U.S. Coast Guard order for the vessel to remain in Commencement Bay. It was aground for nearly two years on tidal flats in Totten Inlet, which is home to oyster beds and mussel-farming operations.
DNR gained custody of the 185-foot former Russian fishing trawler under the state’s Derelict Vessel Act, a law that allows public agencies to address derelict or abandoned vessels that threaten the state’s waters, people, or environment. The Kopcakoe is the largest vessel the state has removed under the program.
“This shows how the derelict vessel program removes threats to public safety and the environment from the waters and aquatic lands in our state while working with property owners and respecting their rights,” said Doug Sutherland, Commissioner of Public Lands. “The Derelict Vessel Removal Program is an excellent example of how DNR is working to clean up Puget Sound.”
In early June of this year, after the vessel was observed to be listing, the U.S. Coast Guard spent approximately $150,000 to remove some 3,000 gallons of oil, 1,500 gallons of oily water, and several cubic feet of mixed hazardous materials from the vessel.
In coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard’s action, DNR took temporary possession of the vessel in June, repaired its hull, corrected an 11 degree list, and secured it with additional anchors. DNR initiated the legal process to gain custody of the vessel out of concern that if the vessel sank, residual fuel or other materials aboard would end up in the water and threaten wildlife.
Although DNR formally gained custody of the vessel in early July, the agency delayed towing the ship until today to allow the owner more time to repair and operate the vessel safely and legally. Under the Derelict Vessels Act, the owner retains full responsibility for the vessel, and DNR keeps working with the owner. Once it became clear that the owner was not taking sufficient steps to maintain the vessel in a safe and legal manner, DNR contracted with Global Diving and Salvage of Seattle to tow it to a wind-sheltered temporary moorage in Commencement Bay.
The agency will seek bids from salvage companies to dispose of the vessel properly. While a firm to dispose of the vessel is being selected, the ship will be secured with multiple anchors to prevent it from moving. Hatches and other openings will be sealed to prevent intruders and the vessel will be regularly monitored.
While the U.S. Coast Guard deals with vessels that pose a substantial threat to the environment or to navigation channels, it does not have clear jurisdiction to remove and dispose of a vessel once the immediate threat has been removed.
The Derelict Vessel Removal Program
Across the state, dozens of derelict and abandoned vessels have sunk and become hazards for responsible boaters or are in danger of doing so. Like the Kopcakoe, many of these vessels contain paint, fuel, oil, solvents, and other hazardous materials that could contaminate water and sediments, posing hazards to public health, safety, and the environment.
Causing a vessel to become derelict or abandoned is a misdemeanor crime in Washington. The Derelict Vessel Removal Program provides funding and guidance to help other authorized public entities, like cities and ports, remove and dispose of such vessels. Since 2003, it has facilitated the removal of 275 vessels. About 165 craft are in the state’s derelict vessel inventory, but can be removed from that list if their owners comply with state statutes regarding derelict vessels. Often, the owner is not known.
Most of the approximately $450,000 annual cost of the Derelict Vessel Removal Program is funded by $2 of each annual vessel registration fee. The 2007 Legislature appropriated an additional $2 million from the state’s general fund for the 2007-2009 biennium to address large derelict vessels such as the Kopcakoe as part of a larger effort to clean up Puget Sound.
For more information about DNR’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program, visit DNR's website.
About DNR
Washington’s 2.4 million acres of state-owned aquatic lands—including many beaches, the submerged bedlands under Puget Sound, the coast, natural lakes, and navigable rivers—are managed by DNR as a “public trust” for the people of the state. DNR leases aquatic lands to private users for water-dependent uses, such as boat moorage and shellfish cultivation.
Doug Sutherland, who administers DNR, is the 12th Public Lands Commissioner since statehood in 1889.
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