Abandoned Liberty Bay boat not the first left by owner

POULSBO — The state Department of Natural Resources will not be intervening to remove a derelict tugboat left anchored out in Liberty Bay, at least not for the time being.

This isn’t the first time that the owner has abandoned a boat, either. In 2016, Daniel J. Webb left the former NOAA research vessel “John N. Cobb” at the Port of Port Townsend’s Boat Haven Marina. Webb had acquired the vessel in 2015 from the Seattle Maritime Academy.

Efforts to find contact information for Webb were unsuccessful as of this writing. Kitsap News Group has filed a request for relevant public records from DNR.

According to Eric Toews, director of planning and in-house counsel for the Port of Port Townsend, Webb shouldn’t have been able to acquire the Cobb in the first place.

“When you’re dealing with vessels of that size and age, there are different statutory provisions that apply and it establishes a fairly high bar to ensure that the purchaser of the vessel has the capability to take it on and also has the resources and insurance as well,” Toews said. “I think the Port of Port Townsend’s point of view is that Seattle Maritime Academy failed to do that and that the vessel was conveyed to Mr. Webb without their having exercised due diligence.”

After Webb left the vessel, unable to pay for repairs or moorage, the port had to recoup the costs and find a new owner for the boat. “We racked up a considerable bill,” Toews said. “My recollection is that it was well in excess of $100,000.”

As a result, Webb is banned from all Port of Port Townsend facilities. Now another vessel owned by Webb has been left behind, this time on Liberty Bay.

In 2016, Webb acquired the 94-foot long, 1942 tugboat “Jesse” from Salmon Bay Barge Line Incorporated. Webb apparently renamed the boat “Victory,” although the name on the stern still reads “Jesse.”

Troy Wood of DNR’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program said the program has been made aware of “Jesse’s” dereliction but the state won’t be stepping in to take the boat off the bay until the vessel’s condition worsens to the point of posing a significant threat to the area.

“At this time, the only thing that the vessel is in violation of, other than registration laws, is anchorage laws. It’s been there for longer than 30 days, so that makes it abandoned at this point.”

According to state law, “Persons shall not moor or anchor a vessel in the same area on state-owned aquatic lands for periods longer than 30 consecutive days or for more than a total of 90 days in any 365-day period.”

“We’re aware of his repeat offenses,” Wood said of Webb. “With it being on anchor out there for several months and there’s no indication that it’s a threat to human safety or the environment, it’s a low priority for us at this point. That and it’s a very large vessel and it would be very expensive for us to move and dispose of, so there’s also that consideration. You’re looking at almost a quarter-million dollars to remove and destroy that vessel. To put it in perspective, our total budget for this biennium is $2.4 million.”

Currently, the boat is a Category 5 derelict vessel, the lowest priority for the Derelict Vessel Removal Program. While “Jesse” remains a low priority at the moment, Wood said it’s possible that DNR could intervene in the future.

“If the vessel becomes a threat to human safety or the environment, we can take emergency temporary possession and make the vessel safe,” Wood said. He added, “Our first concern is always the protection of state aquatic lands.”

How the program works

The total budget for the Derelict Vessel Removal Program for the 2017-19 biennium is $2.5 million. Of these funds, $1.94 million comes from recreational vessel registration fees and commercial vessel fees. An additional $527,200 comes from revenue earned from state-owned aquatic leases.

As of Oct. 5, the program has spent or committed a total of $962,157.32 of the budget to vessel removal projects.