Dozens of abandoned boats removed from Burrard Inlet

A major cleanup took place this weekend in Port Moody as crews towed derelict and abandoned boats from the waters of Burrard Inlet.

On Wednesday, the city removed the last five vessels remaining.

“This isn’t aggressive, again, we are not out on a hunt to remove everybody’s boat,” Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay said. “We actually have spent the last two-and-a half years identifying the owners of the boats, where they came from, trying to contact the owners.”

The cleanup is supposed to help remove the boats that are potentially polluting the water, that can be at risk of sinking or washing ashore.

To prevent this from happening, the city created a pilot project – in partnership with the port authority – that requires boaters to register with the city, stay in a designated anchorage area and pay a fee.

The project has been in effect for one month already and Clay says it seems it has been successful.

“If you looked out here last year we counted just under 50 boats, I think it was 47, and if I look out here right now I can see… looks like six.”

The program is similar to that implemented at Vancouver’s False Creek intended to do the same; however some in Port Moody were concerned after many of the evicted vessels migrated to the inlet.

This is now on the minds of communities such as Belcarra, who are concerned Port Moody’s cleanup will send the vessels to them.

“So the consequence of the boats moving from Port Moody Arm around in to Bedwell Bay the port has in fact said they want to initiate discussions with the village of Belcarra about establishing a designated anchorage area in Bedwell Bay,” Belcarra Mayor Ralph Drew said.

The boats removed from the inlet will be stored at a nearby marina for now, but if they boats are not claimed by the owners, they will either be auctioned off or scrapped.

–With files from Linda Ayelsworth