Criminal charges filed against negligent boat owners
Jan 15, 2014, 1:44 PM | Updated: 3:43 pm
Criminal charges were filed against two boat owners who abandoned their run-down vessels, which leaked fuel and oil into state waterways.
The non-felony cases are the first to charge environmental crimes linked to derelict vessels.
“The environmental harm caused by these vessels is significant,” said State Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Clean up costs could hit $1 million for the two derelict and abandoned vessels, according to Ferguson.
The first case, filed in Pierce County District Court, involves the 167-foot Helena Star, which released hundreds of gallons of pollutants when it sank into the Hylebos Waterway in January 2013. Removal is ongoing and estimated clean up costs are already $500,000.
Owner Steven Mason is charged with “Abandoning a Derelict Vessel,” said Ferguson.
The second case, filed in Kitsap County Superior Court, is related to the tugboat Chikamauga, which dumped 200-300 gallons of petroleum products into the water off Bainbridge Island last October. The owner, Anthony Smith, is charged with “abandoning a derelict vessel, “violation of the Water Pollution Control Act” and “theft of services,” for failing to pay moorage fees.
“Today’s announcement of these criminal charges is a huge step in the process of holding these owners responsible,” said state Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark.
The state’s derelict vessel removal program, underway since 2002, has removed more than 500 vessels.
