The following vessels have custody actions pending under the Derelict Vessel Act (RCW 70.10.040). If the owner takes no action, the vessel will be seized by the authorized public entity listed in the notice.  Once custody is obtained, the agency may use or dispose of the vessel in any appropriate and environmentally sound manner without further notice to any owners.

 

The owner of any vessel listed below may prevent the custody action by following the directions outlined in the notice.

Date   Posted	Vessel Name | Notice	Registration	Location	Custody   Date
4/10/18	Unknown, a 30 foot Yankee sailboat	WN 5139 RN	Removed from Blake Island State Park, Kitsap Co	5/10/18
4/2/18	Unknown, a 1977 ~25 foot runabout	WN 8083 NX	Hammersley Inlet, Mason County	4/30/18
3/27/18	Pretty Penny ~32 foot wood hulled cabin cruiser	D 070173 2014	Fragaria Creek, Olalla, Kitsap County	4/27/18
3/26/18	Unknown | Image | Image a 1940 ~29 foot wooden sailboat	WN 7258 NW	Port of Bellingham, Squalicum Harbor guest dock	4/26/18
3/23/18	Osprey | Image | Image ~49 foot concrete sailing vessel	USCG 624664	Port o Bellingham, Squalicum Harbor	4/22/18
3/19/18	Mary Lee | Image	USCG 1189353	Sunk in the Port of Kalama Marina	4/16/18
3/19/18	Cimdayak | Image - a 1964 ~36 foot Lapworth sailboat	WN 7565 RJ	Sinclair Inlet, Port Orchard	4/15/18
3/14/18	Unknown | Image | Image	WN 8533 W	Harstine Island, Mason Coumty	4/14/18
2/27/18	Unknown | Image  a 1974 ~30 foot fiberglass sailboat	WN 5139 RN	Beached on Blake Island, Kitsap County	3/29/18

 

Owner Liability.  If the owner does not take action to remove a vessel declared derelict or abandoned, he or she may be liable for costs such as: 

• Administrative costs incurred in the custody action.
• Removal and disposal costs.
• Costs associated with environmental damages directly or indirectly caused by the vessel. 

The owner may also be subject to a criminal misdemeanor charge for causing a vessel to become abandoned or derelict.

 

Appeals. A vessel owner may contest an agency’s decision to take temporary possession or custody of a vessel, or to contest the amount of reimbursement owed to an agency through an appeals process, which is spelled out in the notice of intent to obtain custody.  The type of appeal and the appeal period depends on which authorized public entity takes the action. 

 

In general, if the contested decision or action was undertaken by a state agency or a local agency that does not have an internal appeals process,  a written appeal must be filed with the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB). The appeal must be received no later than 30 days after the custody date.  See the vessel’s custody notice for details. PCHB frequently asked questions.