Nova Scotia boat owner ordered to pay $12,000 after vessel deemed hazardous

The Nova Scotia flag flies next to the Canadian flag. (Source: Jonathan MacInnis/CTV News Atlantic)

A boat owner in Port Hawkesbury, N.S., has been ordered to pay $12,000 after the Canadian Coast Guard determined their vessel poses a hazard to the local marine environment and public safety.

According to the Department of National Defence (DND), the directive “instructed the owner to relocate and stabilize the vessel in order to conduct remediation, removal, or repair to an appropriate level, to ensure that any physical, environmental, or other hazards are eliminated, remedied, or otherwise properly addressed.”

DND says the owner failed to comply with the directive and has been issued a penalty of $12,000, which they are required to pay within 30 days if they don’t apply for a review hearing.

The vessel and its owner have not been named.

DND says the coast guard issued the directive under the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, which aims to prevent or mitigate harm from hazardous or polluting vessels.

“Wrecked, abandoned, or hazardous vessels can pose threats to the environment, local communities and economies,” said DND in a news release Monday. “The Government of Canada continues to take action to address problem vessels and ensure owner accountability.”

DND says boat owners are responsible for maintaining and keeping their boats in good working order and properly disposing of the vessel when it reaches the end of its life.

When a vessel has been identified as a pollution threat or hazardous, the coast guard notifies the owner, who is required to clean it up or remove it and follow any directives.

Individual boat owners who fail to comply can be fined anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000, while corporations can face fines between $25,000 and $250,000.

The federal government says, to date, more than 2,000 wrecked, abandoned or hazardous boats have been reported in Canada. Ottawa has funded almost 500 projects to remove and dispose of wrecked, abandoned, or hazardous boats across Canada since 2016.

It is also illegal to abandon a boat in Canadian waters.

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