‘Big problem:’ South Carolina lawmakers want stronger penalties for derelict vessel owners

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Amid the picturesque sunsets and crystal blue waters that define South Carolina’s coastal areas are much uglier sites in many areas: Junked boats with rusted-out bottoms.

State lawmakers are working on stricter punishments for owners of those derelict vessels by setting fines of up to $10,000 and 60-day jail terms if they’re found.

On Wednesday, the Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee threw its support behind a measure giving any person, business or government entity that removes derelict vessels a three-year window to sue owners for costs.

It also requires the state Department of Environmental Services to develop and maintain an application and website for law enforcement and the public to report vessels that are wrecked, junked, in a state of disrepair or have sunk.

“Time is not on our side when we’re moving these boats. If they sink, it increases the problem of getting them removed, so the items in this bill will really help us do our job,” Maj. Michael Paul Thomas of the state Department of Natural Resources said. “I think we’ll be very busy for a few years on this until we get ahead of it.”

A 2016 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration case study found an average cost of $14,000 to pull boats out of waterways.

“We put a lot of time and effort into this,” state Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, said of the bill he sponsored. “This is a big, big problem that we have, and it’s not just a coastal problem. I think this is a very good model for us to put in place.”