Senate bill looks to help with removal of abandoned vessels

CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Senate bill 465 has been filed in the North Carolina legislature to help cities remove abandoned vessels.

Carolina Beach has had a tough time when it comes to the matter, dealing with different jurisdictions of the harbors.

Some people will leave boats sitting in the harbor, lead to potential environmental issues and issues with who will remove them.

Mayor Lynn Barbee of Carolina Beach describes the challenge the town has faced.

“One of the issues we have had in our harbor is derelict boats. Quite often, they’ve been left, they may sink, they may leak fuel, and it takes a coalition of state and federal partners to take care of that. It really depends on a lot of things, is it in the channel? Is it navigations? Is it Coast Guard? Is it fish and wildlife? who’s responsible?” Barbee explained.

Barbee adds the issue is about safety and hopes to be able to respond to these situations quicker, making the solution more cohesive.