Editor’s Note: The following commentary was submitted to The Log by The BoatYard in Marina del Rey in response to recent discussion surrounding abandoned and surrendered vessels in the harbor. The BoatYard is a Los Angeles County-approved contractor that performs vessel disposal work in Marina del Rey and therefore has a direct business interest in the issue discussed. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Log or its publisher.
Recent reporting about abandoned and surrendered vessels in Marina del Rey has brought welcome attention to an issue that has become increasingly challenging for the boating community, Los Angeles County and the businesses involved in safely disposing of these vessels.
As the County-approved contractor currently performing vessel disposal work in Marina del Rey, The BoatYard has worked closely with the County and the Sheriff’s Department on this issue. From our experience, there is an important point that deserves clarification: the current backlog is primarily a funding challenge rather than a lack of local capacity to perform the work.
The BoatYard has the equipment, personnel and experience necessary to dispose of the vessels currently awaiting demolition. With adequate funding, appropriate authorization and proper scheduling, we believe the existing inventory could be processed relatively quickly.
Responsible Vessel Disposal Is Expensive
Disposing of an abandoned boat is considerably more complicated than simply hauling it out of the water and breaking it apart.
Before demolition begins, fuel, oil, batteries, contaminated bilge water and other potentially hazardous materials must be identified and properly removed. Older and neglected vessels can also contain petroleum-soaked materials, lead, fiberglass and other substances requiring careful handling and disposal.
This work requires trained personnel, specialized equipment, environmental safeguards, insurance, and access to appropriate disposal facilities. Unexpected conditions are also frequently discovered after work begins.
These procedures add substantially to the cost of disposal, but they are important. Marina del Rey is a unique waterfront environment, and everyone involved has an interest in making sure vessels are removed safely and responsibly.
Funding Has Not Kept Pace With the Need
The County has utilized California’s Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange, or SAVE, program to help fund vessel disposal. It is a valuable program, but the funding available through it has not been sufficient to address both the existing inventory and the continuing flow of vessels reaching the end of their useful lives.
This is a challenge that extends well beyond Marina del Rey. Recreational boats have a life cycle just like automobiles and other large assets. Unfortunately, disposing of an old boat can cost thousands of dollars even when the boat itself has little or no remaining value.
That economic imbalance contributes to the abandonment problem.
Finding additional sources of funding to supplement the SAVE program would allow the County and its contractors to address the backlog more quickly while also preparing for future demand.
Capacity Versus Funding
Some attention has been given to the fact that there is currently one County-approved contractor performing this work in Marina del Rey.
The County is appropriately exploring ways to broaden contractor participation, and having additional qualified contractors available can provide useful flexibility.
However, it is important to distinguish contractor availability from funding availability.
The BoatYard currently has the resources and capability to process the existing inventory. From our perspective, the number of contractors has not been the principal limitation on how quickly these vessels can be removed. The greater constraint has been the amount of funding available to authorize and pay for the work.
The County’s contractor qualification process is also necessarily comprehensive. Marine demolition involves environmental, insurance, safety and liability considerations. At the same time, there may be opportunities to simplify aspects of that process so that additional qualified marine businesses are encouraged to participate.
Managing the Risks of Abandoned Vessels
Another challenge that is not always apparent is the potential liability that accompanies vessel demolition.
Once a boat has been destroyed, it obviously cannot be reconstructed. Questions can subsequently arise concerning ownership, personal property, documentation, environmental conditions or even items that someone later claims were aboard the vessel.
The BoatYard has experienced litigation arising after the demolition of a vessel, including claims concerning alleged evidence and property. Regardless of the merits of any particular claim, experiences such as these demonstrate why contractors need clear authorization, appropriate insurance, and reasonable protection against unforeseen liabilities before accepting a vessel for destruction.
These safeguards protect not only the contractor but also the County and the public.
Balancing Disposal With Normal Boatyard Operations
The BoatYard is a working, full-service boatyard rather than a dedicated demolition facility.
Vessel demolition inevitably creates some combination of noise, dust, debris, and odors. We therefore schedule this work carefully so that our regular customers and their vessels are not unnecessarily affected.
This does not prevent us from handling a substantial volume of abandoned vessels. It simply requires coordination and sensible scheduling.
A Problem We Can Solve Together
The encouraging part of this discussion is that Marina del Rey already has much of the infrastructure and expertise necessary to address the problem.
The County, Sheriff’s Department, marine businesses and organizations involved in vessel disposal all share essentially the same objective: removing abandoned vessels safely, efficiently and responsibly while protecting Marina del Rey’s environment.
The BoatYard stands ready to continue doing its part.
With adequate and dependable funding, appropriate liability protections and good coordination among everyone involved, we believe The BoatYard has the capacity to substantially reduce — and potentially eliminate — the existing backlog of abandoned vessels in a relatively short period of time.
Going forward, the larger challenge will be establishing a sustainable funding mechanism that recognizes a simple reality: every boat eventually reaches the end of its useful life, and responsible disposal is part of the cost of maintaining a healthy boating community.
This is a manageable problem, and one we believe the Marina del Rey community and Los Angeles County can solve by working together.
