A push to remove a derelict vessel from Kings Wharf may end up in court for the second time since 2012.
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Ponrabbel II, one of Launceston's most historic vessels, is mostly submerged beneath the Tamar after sinking on the night of September 10.
It is the second time it has sunk in the past two years.
The dredge arrived from Glasgow in 1921 and worked to remove silt from the waterway for 56 years before being tied up in 1976.
It has been a feature of Kings Wharf ever since.
Marine and Safety Tasmania has previously attempted to "seize and remove" the vessel, but a 2012 court case found in favour of the vessel's then-owner Peter Smith.
The hearing found that the vessel was safely moored and did not contain any chemicals or hydrocarbons that could be considered a pollution risk.
MAST understands Mr Smith has since died, and the organisation is working to establish ownership of the vessel.
"Legislation guides us that we will need to issue a notice [to the owner] to make the vessel seaworthy or remove it," MAST acting chief executive Bill Batt said.
"There's statutory timeframes associated with that and we can't short-circuit any process."
RELATED: The history of Kings Wharf
A BROADER PROBLEM
Ponrabbel II is one of a number of derelict vessels that sit along the Kings Wharf shoreline.
There has been some public support for their removal, however, MAST has not had jurisdiction to do so because the stretch of water is not considered a navigable part of the river.
Mr Batt said there was a balance to strike between keeping Tasmania's waterways clean and ensuring vessel owners have necessary protections from compulsory acquisitions.
"Something that might appear to be unsightly still can be quite a valuable underlying asset to the owner," Mr Batt said.
"We're talking scrap steel values ... that vessel [Ponrabbel II] could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars as scrap, so the government can't just come along and take that away from someone if there's a demonstrated intention [for it]."
In June, the state government announced it was working on new legislation to give government bodies greater powers to remove abandoned or derelict vessels from waterways.
It is understood the ongoing situation at Kings Wharf has been a factor in driving the new legislation.
"I am aware of the vessel that appears to have sunk in the Tamar River," Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said.
"I have requested Marine and Safety Tasmania to take whatever further action is required to ensure that the owner meets their responsibilities to our community and the river's health.
"The government is working across a number of agencies to develop a new regulatory model to improve the state's ability to intervene early and address the risks posed by derelict vessels.
"We are doing so in view of the decision in the Supreme Court in relation to interpreting existing laws."
Late last year the EPA was called to an oil spill around the hulk of the Cape Bruny tug, which is also tied up on the Tamar shoreline.
Cape Bruny and the nearby Harry O'May ferry were formerly the property of prominent ship owner Les Dick, who died in 2021.
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