Canadian Coast Guard Issues Penalty for a Hazardous Vessel
News release
November 17, 2025 – Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia – National Defence / Canadian Coast Guard
On September 22, 2025, the Canadian Coast Guard exercised its authority under the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act to issue an Administrative Monetary Penalty to the owner of an unnamed vessel located in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia. The owner of the vessel failed to comply with a direction issued under the Act following the determination that the vessel poses a hazard to the marine environment and public safety.
Wrecked, abandoned, or hazardous vessels can pose threats to the environment, local communities and economies. The Government of Canada continues to take action to address problem vessels and ensure owner accountability.
The direction instructed the owner to relocate and stabilize the vessel in order to conduct remediation, removal, or repair to an appropriate level, to ensure that any physical, environmental, or other hazards are eliminated, remedied, or otherwise properly addressed.
The vessel owner was issued a penalty of $12,000 and was required to pay within 30 days or to apply for a review hearing with the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada by October 25, 2025.
Under the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, the Canadian Coast Guard is required to publicly report the fines issued to vessel owners on its website.
The Canadian Coast Guard asks for the public’s assistance in reporting wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels.
Quick facts
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Vessels owners are responsible for maintaining and keeping their boats in good working order and properly disposing of the vessel when it reaches the end of its life.
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The Canadian Coast Guard maintains a publicly available national inventory of reported wrecked and abandoned boats across Canada to better track these boats and help prioritize which ones should be dealt with first. To date, over 2,000 wrecked, abandoned or hazardous boats have been reported.
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Since 2016, the Government of Canada has funded almost 500 projects to remove and dispose of wrecked, abandoned, or hazardous boats across Canada and has made it illegal to abandon a boat in Canada’s waters.
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Contacts
Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca
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