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Vessel Recovery
- How many commercial and recreational vessels are missing or in need of salvage due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita?
- What is the process for commercial vessel recovery in the affected parishes?
- What should commercial vessel owners do to salvage their vessels?
- What role can the parish play in vessel salvage and recovery?
- Does a similar process exist for recreational vessels?
How many commercial and recreational vessels are missing or in need of salvage due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita?
In an Oct. 31, 2005, article, the New Orleans Times Picayune estimated that there are approximately 3,000 commercial vessels and 35,000 to 45,000 recreational boats missing or in need of salvage.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has established a Web site that will help boat owners to search for boats that were lost as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Interested people can access the Web site through a link under the "What's New" section of LDWF's home page at www.wlf.louisiana.gov.
The Web site allows the public to access information on all recreational and commercial vessels located and reported to the department by LDWF Enforcement Division agents, insurance companies, private citizens and others involved in recovery and removal of displaced boats. The site is updated daily as information on boats is received.
As of Jan. 3, 2006 the Coast Guard identified 2,266 commercial vessels in need of salvage, of which 725 have already been salvaged by the Coast Guard or the owners themselves.
(Justin Farrell, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program and Rusty Gaude, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program/LSU AgCenter) 1-4-06
What is the process for commercial vessel recovery in the affected parishes?
Under the Stafford Act, FEMA charged the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) with removing wrecks and debris that pose an immediate threat to human life, public health and safety from commercial waterways and channels in the parishes of Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Jefferson, Orleans, Calcasieu, Cameron, Vermillion, LaFourche, Terrebone, Iberia and St. Mary. In separate tasking, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers charged the Coast Guard with removing vessels beached on Army Corps levees, battures and borrow pit areas. Vessels which do not meet the mission criteria outlined by FEMA or the Corps do not qualify for salvage by the Coast Guard. USCG has organized salvage firms with five barge-based cranes to assist in the commercial vessel clean-up. USCG continues to bring in additional contractors to assist with the recovery effort. The process is estimated to take approximately 12 months.Additionally, the Coast Guard is spray painting case numbers on vessels throughout Louisiana. A spray painted case number does not automatically qualify a vessel for Coast Guard salvage. These case numbers are simply used to track vessels in an electronic database. Once a case number is assigned, a separate determination is made whether or not the vessel meets the mission criteria.
(Justin Farrell, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program and Rusty Gaude, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program/LSU AgCenter) 1-4-06
What should commercial vessel owners do to salvage their vessels?
Commercial vessel owners with boats in need of salvage due to Hurricanes Rita and Katrina are encouraged to contact the USCG Wreck and Salvage Group by phone (504) 310-3711 and (409) 682-4287.
Owners should be prepared to provide the information requested on the Owner Contact Questionnaire (16KB PDF). Information includes owner contact information, vessel name, registration, owner’s intentions, etc. Additionally, owners may contact USCG’s Stationary Information Center, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Ann’s Church in Empire, La. Owners are encouraged to get a USCG case number, typically spray painted by the Coast Guard on the vessel.
Owners, whose vessels do not meet mission criteria, can apply for a low interest loan with the Small Business Administration (800) 659-2955 to pay for their vessel’s salvage. For more information, please visit www.sba.gov/disaster.
(Justin Farrell, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program and Rusty Gaude, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program/LSU AgCenter) 1-25-06
What role can the parish play in vessel salvage and recovery?
Since the vessel salvage operations are driven at the parish level, the USCG encourages parish assistance in directing commercial salvage operations. Parishes are encouraged to assist in the prioritization of recovery operations, as well in locating staging areas to position vessels and debris.
(Justin Farrell, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program and Rusty Gaude, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program/LSU AgCenter) 1-4-06
Does a similar process exist for recreational vessels?
Yes, but only if the recreational vessel is deemed to meet the FEMA mission (impeding a commercial waterway) or an Army Corp mission (impeding a levy). At present, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is in discussions about recreational vessel clean-up with federal agencies. LDEQ has set up three staging areas for recreational boat owners hoping to recover boats missing due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita:
- Old Landfill on Paris Road, St. Bernard Parish
- Empire Shipyard, 284 Rose Marie Drive, Plaquemines Parish
- Venice Marina, 237 Sports Marine Road, Plaquemines Parish
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has established a Web site that will help boat owners to search for boats that were lost as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Interested people can access the Web site through a link under the "What's New" section of LDWF's home page at www.wlf.louisiana.gov.
The Web site allows the public to access information on all recreational and commercial vessels located and reported to the department by LDWF Enforcement Division agents, insurance companies, private citizens and others involved in recovery and removal of displaced boats. The site is updated daily as information on boats is received.
(Justin Farrell, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program and Rusty Gaude, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program/LSU AgCenter) 1-4-06
For questions, comments or suggestions, please contact the Web Coordinator.