A sunken boat recently recovered from the southern side of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge. Photo / Bay of Plenty Regional Council
A sunken boat recently recovered from the southern side of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge. Photo / Bay of Plenty Regional Council
The rising number of abandoned and derelict boats in Tauranga Harbour is becoming a costly issue, with ratepayers often footing the bill for their disposal if they sink.
Bay of Plenty Harbourmaster Jon Jon Peters said the problem was escalating.
In the last two months, the Harbourmaster team hadrecovered three sunken vessels, with another recovery currently under way.
“We’re seeing more and more boats left to deteriorate on their moorings,” Peters said in a regional council statement this week.
“Each one of these vessels can cost anywhere up to $25,000 to remove if they sink, and when we can’t recover the costs from the owner, the community ultimately pays for this.”
A derelict boat that sank in Tauranga Harbour. Photo / Bay of Plenty Regional Council
The issue was not unique to the Bay of Plenty, the council said. Abandoned boats were a concern nationwide.
Many of the vessels now causing problems were built during the boating boom of the 1960s and 70s, and now, decades later, they’re reaching the end of their useful life.
“Some owners can’t afford the upkeep anymore,” Peters said.
“Others don’t have the skills or time to maintain their boats, and some just lose interest and walk away.
“Unfortunately, if those boats sink, they may become hazards to navigation, create environmental risks and become costly to dispose of.”
Severe weather events in recent years have only made matters worse.
Boats already in poor condition were more likely to break free from moorings or sink during storms, creating urgent safety and environmental concerns in potentially hazardous conditions.
The Bay of Plenty Harbourmaster team manages 490 moorings across the region and annual inspections by the regional council’s marine biosecurity dive team revealed about 40% of vessels moored in Tauranga Harbour were showing signs of neglect, with no recent hull maintenance.
“This is a red flag,” Peters said.
“Neglected boats are more likely to become derelict and, once they reach that point, the costs and risks of sinking multiply.”
Removing a sunken vessel was no small task, Peters said.
The cost depended on the size of the boat, the materials it was made from and how difficult it was to access – especially if it had sunk in deep water.
“Even a relatively small boat can cost thousands to recover,” Peters said.
“We do everything we can to reclaim costs from the owner, but in many cases, they’ve disappeared or simply can’t pay. That’s when the cost lands on ratepayers.”
A sunken boat recently recovered from the southern side of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge. Photo / Bay of Plenty Regional Council
Peters urged boat owners to take responsibility before their vessels became a problem.
He warned insurance was unlikely to cover the cost of removing a wreck, as it was considered the owner’s responsibility.
The Harbourmaster team played a critical role in managing the region’s waterways, which included investigating and removing wrecks under the Maritime Transport Act 1994.
The act gave the harbourmaster authority to act quickly in the interest of safety and the environment, and the ability to recover costs from boat owners.
“The Harbourmaster team will be looking to trace the chain of ownership of the boat to recover costs,” Peters said.
