$6m price tag: Push on to remove Gold Coast’s abandoned boats before Commonwealth Games

EXPERIENCED Gold Coast boaties say abandoned and derelict boats are an eyesore that need to be removed before the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Abandoned boats will be targeted in a clean-up of the coast. Photo Gold Coast Waterways Authority

EYESORE derelict boats in Gold Coast waterways need to be cleaned up ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, say experienced boaties.

There are around 200 derelict vessels along the State’s coast which are considered abandoned and their clean-up and removal could cost as much as $6 million, says Maritime Safety Queensland.

According to Gold Coast water police, hot spots include an area just south of Sea World in the Broadwater and Brown’s Inlet on South Stradbroke.

The Gold Coast Waterways Authority annually contributes around $70,000 to clean-up efforts, including the refloating of sunken boats, with salvage the primary responsibility of the owners.

Southport Volunteer Marine Rescue president Dave McDonald has spent nearly 20 years on the Coast’s waterways and said he did not like to see sunken craft in the water.

“It is something we seen enough of and they are an absolute eyesore,” he said.

“They do not do the Broadwater any good in the sense that if there is something derelict or lying on its side rusting away, then it should not be there at all.

“It does the Gold Coast no favours by looking messy.”

Abandoned boats are considered navigational and environmental hazards on busy waterways, with the potential for pollutants to leak from their hulls.

Under existing laws, enforced by the waterways authority, boat owners are responsible for the salvage and repair of their vessels.

Authority chief executive Hal Morris said the number of derelict vessels on the Glitter Strip was relatively low compared to some other locations throughout the state.

“Our priority is to get wrecks out of the marine environment,” he said.

“We are always ready with a first strike response, so that if a vessel as sunk then we can prevent the pollution from escaping into the water.

“We start with the owners but if they are unable or unwilling to, we will take possession of the craft and they can buy it back through a fine.”

Mr Morris said in extreme cases the wrecked boats would be sold to recoup costs for taxpayers or would be broken up and sent to landfill to prevent further abandonment.

Water police Acting Senior Sergeant Tony Nelson said his staff were only called on to act in enforcement measures if assistance was required and boats had sat there for too long.

In 2013, an increasing number of abandoned vessels on the Broadwater became the target of a clean-up by the authority.