Shrimp boat destroyed, owner on hook for $20,000

SAVANNAH - A leaking shrimp boat off the coast of Savannah has become the first vessel destroyed under recent state legislation allowing authorities to get rid of derelict or sunken boats.

After onlookers alerted the U.S. Coast Guard, the 73-foot Stacy Lynn was towed to Thunderbolt Marina, where it would have lingered for 30 days before it could be destroyed. Instead Chief Michael Berkow tracked down the owner in Canada and convinced him to surrender the boat.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources plans to pursue the owner of the boat to recover the $20,000 in cleanup fees on the boat.

The Abandoned Vessels Act was passed in July 2007. Since August 2006, 148 vessels have been identified as sunken or derelict on the Georgia coast.