‘More abandoned boats are being targeted for recycling after a successful pilot project in south Devon’ the BBC reports.

A report into the pilot project identified ‘delayed awareness in the issues we now face’ with the management and disposal of fibreglass vessels. ‘Essentially, this results in the maritime version of fly tipping, but with a wider and deeper environmental impact.’

With ‘no requirement in the UK to register ownership of a vessel, insure or hold qualifications for its operation’, at the end of the vessel’s useful life, ‘owners ‘are left with something they cannot afford to moor or maintain. It is a simple matter to either sell on or walk away from a vessel. As there is no registration system, it is very difficult to trace owners or hold them accountable’.

‘The challenge associated with both abandoned and EOL [end of life] vessels is that, until the implementation of this pilot, there was no available or practicable solution within the UK.’

Read the full report to understand the scope of the challenge and options moving forwards for this growing problem.