As part of the War on Wrecks program Maritime Safety Queensland and partner agencies have continued the important work of ensuring safe waterways and maintaining jobs during COVID-19 by continuing to remove abandoned, illegally dumped and derelict vessels and pontoons,
MSQ made significant progress last year and doesn’t plan to let COVID 19 affect progress. Since July 2019, a further 213 derelict vessels have been removed from Queensland waterways and MSQ is currently working towards the removal of a further 63 vessels.
The War on Wrecks Taskforce has been reconvened to continue their commitment to creating safer waterways. More information can be found here.
In March 2020, 28 compliance actions on derelict and at-risk vessels commenced, taking the total for the current financial year to 112 for the War on Wrecks program.
MSQ has 10 current Enforcement Order proceedings ongoing and two prosecution matters being progressed from the War on Wrecks. In response to COVID-19 restrictions, MSQ has undertaken a compassionate procedural review to acknowledge that compliance with our directions may not be possible in some cases due to state and federal directions.
