War on Wrecks: Almost 20 Far North shipwrecks targeted for removal

Almost 20 shipwrecks scattered across Far North waters are being targeted for removal by June 30, following the extraction of an 11.4m abandoned yacht near Cooktown.

Maritime Safety Queensland officers removed a derelict ferro cement-hulled yacht, named Cooinda, from mangroves near Cooktown in February. The boat had been sitting there since June 2023.

Almost 20 shipwrecks scattered across Far North waters are being targeted for removal by June 30, following the extraction of an 11.4m abandoned yacht near Cooktown.

Maritime Safety Queensland officers have removed the derelict ferro cement-hulled yacht, named Cooinda, from mangroves where it had been sitting since June 2023.

The yacht became the 115th vessel salvaged from the Cairns maritime region under the state government’s colourfully-named War on Wrecks program, which began in July 2018 following calls from the Cairns Post to clean up Trinity Inlet.

Among the removals was Eagle, a 10.5m yacht which ran aground and was stranded at Yorkeys Knob.

It was removed in September, following a brief period where it became a local attraction for residents and tourists who turned out to take ‘selfies’ with the stranded boat.

Maritime Safety now aims to extract 18 more derelict vessels from the Cairns, Cooktown and Torres Strait areas by mid-year.

Cook MP Cynthia Lui said the removal of the Cooinda would be beneficial to the Cooktown environment.

Maritime Safety Queensland officers removed a derelict ferro cement-hulled yacht, named Cooinda, from mangroves near Cooktown in February. The boat had been sitting there since June 2023.

“Under the War on Wrecks program, we want to protect our waterways from abandoned and unsightly vessels that impede the safe navigation of other vessels and pose a pollution risk to the environment,” she said.

Transport Minister Bart Mellish said owners needed to take responsibility for wrecks.

“Far North Queensland is renowned for its pristine tropical beauty, and that includes its rivers, creeks, mangroves and coastline,” he said,

“Maritime Safety Queensland is working hard to ensure FNQ’s reputation stays that way, by removing abandoned wrecks that could otherwise pollute the marine environment.

“It is first and foremost an owner’s responsibility to ensure their vessel remains seaworthy or, failing that, to remove it from the water.

“But where they fail to act, MSQ will step in and look to hold owners accountable, through the Courts, for any costs it incurs.”

The success of the War on Wrecks program has led to the state government extending it until at least 2025.

As of December 31, there were 1284 fewer derelict vessels in Queensland’s waterways than

before the program began.

Of those, 759 were removed by government agencies, while the remaining 525 vessels were salvaged by private owners.

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Originally published as War on Wrecks: Almost 20 Far North shipwrecks targeted for removal