Yacht owner faces court over sunken wreck in Mooloolah River, Sunshine Coast

A woman has faced court today for failing to remove her sunken yacht from a Coast river where it sank in March.

Rebecca Maree Binns has been taken to court by Maritime Safety Queensland after she left her sunken boat in the Mooloolah River.

A WOMAN has faced court today for failing to remove her sunken yacht from a Coast river where it sank in March.

Maritime Safety Queensland took legal action against Rebecca Maree Binns, from Toowoomba, in a bid to have her sinking yacht removed.

The Ocean, a 1979 Hartley Golden Cowrie full-cabin with ferro-cement hull and registered until January next year sank in the Mooloolah River at Minyama.

Ms Binns represented herself at Maroochydore District Court today.

She told Judge Gary Long she had been in contact with a company who could lift her yacht out of the river but they required the removal of sand which wasn’t approved by the shipping inspector.

Half sunken yacht in the Mooloolah River. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

“If he lets him dig the sand, I can get it up easy,” Ms Binns said.

“Because he said the sand has to be moved so he can drop the keel down.”

Lawyer Gerrard Sammon represented Maritime Safety Queensland and told the court there was a risk to the environment and safety if sand was to be removed.

“If there is some pollutant contained within the sand then that can have a stirring-up effect if I put it in plain terms,” Mr Sammon said.

He said there was a degree of urgency to remove the boat.

“The ship is, I’m instructed, a navigation hazard where it is in its semi-sunken state,” Mr Sammon said.

“We are fast approaching the summer season where one can expect to see an increase in boat traffic in this part of the Mooloolah River.

“And also there is of course the risk of storms and whatever further damage that might do to the ship.”

He said Ms Binns was issued a document on April 15 ordering her to remove the ship.

Ms Binns asked for an adjournment to seek legal advice and find a towing company which could remove the yacht without digging sand away.

Mr Long adjourned the matter to October 16.

Originally published as Yacht owner faces court over sunken wreck in Mooloolah River, Sunshine Coast