The Tiffany, an 86-foot former fishing vessel, is removed from the water near Astoria, Ore., on Oct. 11, 2023. The Tiffany is the first vessel removed by the Oregon Department of State Lands since it received state funding to address abandoned and derelict vessels.
Katrina Scotto di Carlo / Oregon Department of State Lands
For the first time, the Oregon Department of State Lands has millions of dedicated dollars to remove abandoned and derelict vessels from the state’s waterways.
The department previously had to request money for cleanups from the Common School Fund. But now, it has a two-year budget of nearly $19 million.
Chris Castelli, acting director of operations for the Department of State Lands, said hundreds of abandoned vessels have accumulated in bays, oceans, lakes and rivers across the state.
The buildup poses a threat to both the environment and public safety.
“They contaminate water, they damage habitat, they damage the property — which is the public’s property — and they impede navigation,” he said. “Also, they impact the use and enjoyment of our waterways for the people of Oregon.”
The department recently used the new funding to remove the Tiffany, an 86-foot former fishing vessel, from the Columbia River near Rainier, Oregon. The project is estimated to cost $1.4 million.
Crews towed the boat to Hyak Maritime in Astoria, where it will be deconstructed and recycled for steel parts after environmental remediation.
“This particular boat, people were living on it,” Hyak CEO Bob Dorn said. “It was full of toxic chemicals; it was a meth lab.”
The Tiffany, a former fishing vessel, awaits deconstruction at Hyak Maritime in Astoria, Ore., on ct. 17. The Tiffany is the first vessel removed by the Oregon Department of State Lands since it received state funding to address abandoned and derelict vessels.
Katrina Scotto di Carlo / Oregon Department of State Lands
Dorn said it’s common for owners to sell boats for less and less money as they age or fall into disrepair and become less seaworthy.
Castelli said the state attempts to pursue legal action against vessel owners to cover cleanup costs, but acknowledged that it isn’t always possible to hold owners accountable.
“They’re abandoned and derelict for a reason, typically. That’s because the owner — if we can find an owner — doesn’t typically have many resources for addressing that,” he said.
Preventing vessels from deteriorating in the first place will be one of the goals of a new state program dedicated to respond to abandoned and derelict vessels.
The state convened a workgroup earlier this year to set up the program and determine how best to inventory and prioritize vessels for cleanup.
Meanwhile, Castelli said the Department of State Lands will continue to seek dedicated funding through the Legislature to address the retrieval and removal of abandoned vessels.
DSL Acting Director of Operations Chris Castelli and Hyak Maritime CEO Bob Dorn spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Listen to the full conversation here:
