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South Carolina’s abandoned vessel program is a multi-pronged effort involving local governments and state agencies including the Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and the Department of Natural Resources. In 2004, South Carolina established an Abandoned Vessel Removal Task Force that includes the following four agencies: S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. More recently, an Abandoned Vessel Working Group was established to improve inter-agency and inter-governmental coordination and to examine the challenges associated with ADV removal and prevention in South Carolina.
Case Studies in the Southeast Region
South Carolina Code of Laws (Title 50 - Fish, Game, and Watercraft), under which the Department of Natural Resources has authority, provide a definition for abandoned vessels and provisions that address the seizing, removal and disposal of abandoned and unattended vessels. Chapter 30 of South Carolina’s Code of Regulations, administered by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, includes provisions for addressing the removal of abandoned vessels found in critical areas of the state, which include coastal waters, tidelands, beaches, and beach/dune systems.
South Carolina does not have dedicated funding for abandoned and derelict vessel removal efforts, which are largely dependent on state appropriations or grant funding. Both the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and the Department of Natural Resources have the authority to use their dedicated funds to administer the laws under Chapter 30 of the Code of Regulations and Title 50 of the Code of Laws, respectively. In addition, when a seized abandoned vessel is sold at public auction, proceeds derived from the sale must be deposited in the Boating Operating Fund of the Department of Natural Resources to cover administration of the program.
The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management administers the provisions for abandoned vessels found in the state’s critical areas under Chapter 30 of South Carolina’s Code of Regulations. They also manage the abandoned boat reporting tool, a component of the MyCoast South Carolina citizen science reporting application. The Department of Natural Resources administers vessel registration and titling and addresses abandoned vessels pursuant to South Carolina’s watercraft laws under Title 50 of the Code of Laws.
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
Phone: 843-953-0200
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Phone: 843-953-9307