Texas Targets Decades of Abandoned Ships

According to a report from the Associated Press, Texas used to allow residents to dump unwanted fishing boats, sailboats, or even barges or rigs in state waters. The state knows of more than 400 such vessels and has stepped up efforts to enforce its ban on the practice, which was abandoned in 2005. Removing the vessels, however, costs a minimum of $100 per ft — the most expensive removal cost $2m. Texas pairs up with local governments, nonprofits and scrap recyclers that remove the steel vessels and cash them in. Extreme Scrap and Recycling had a 70-ft, 300,000-pound shears contraption built especially for these projects. The company said it has helped the state remove some 250 vessels since 2005.

(Source: The Associated Press)