A marine taskforce has been formed to remove the numbers of abandoned boats blighting the Island.

Government has banded together with Police and the private sector in a bid to eradicate the problem in Bermuda's waters.

They aim to remove sunken and abandoned boats from bays, inlets and harbours across the Island, with one clean-up per month for the next six months.

Ten vessels were removed from Mill Creek, Pembroke, last month and Mullet Bay is the next destination on August 18.

In December The Royal Gazette ran a story highlighting the problem of abandoned boats in Mullet Bay. Several St. George's residents complained the area was becoming a dumping ground.

The Island-wide marine clean-up has been launched after years of dumping and neglect by boat owners.

Marine Services Officer Deborah Moran, of the Department of Marine and Ports, said: "Many in Bermuda's maritime community have been calling for such a clean-up as this for many years.

"However, the complex laws governing the sea as well as finding the funds, resources and manpower to carry out this project have been elusive. But we have now started and made great progress in Mill Creek, removing many old boats, some that have been sunk in the mangroves for several years."

The boats removed on July 21 included commercial fishing and recreational craft, motor and sail boats, wooden and fibreglass boats, as well as other debris.

Salvageable boats were towed to Morgan's Point, and the rest to the airport landfill where they were stripped of hazards by Department of Waste Management staff.

A Ministry of Environment spokesman said yesterday: "The sunken boats pose an environmental risk as they often contain pollutants including fuel, oil, batteries and other toxic materials that can contaminate the marine environment.

"Sunken boats also pose a navigational hazard, can damage the mangroves in which they are abandoned and also pose a risk to properly moored boats during storms."

The initiative was also welcomed by Keep Bermuda Beautiful. A spokeswoman for the environmental charity said: "We are delighted this is being undertaken by Government in a collaborative effort.

"Some derelict and submerged vessels have been lingering since Hurricane Fabian. It's an environmental hazard but is also a tourism issue. We can't have visitors going to our parks and seeing such a dreadful state of neglect."

She added that during a monthly KBB clean-up in January, at Lodge Point Lane, Sandys, "there were quite a lot of submerged boats in the Lagoon Park area".

The taskforce has been organised by the Department of Marine and Ports, and includes the Department of Conservation Services, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Parks and Waste Management from the Ministry of Works and Engineering.

Government staff will work with the Bermuda Police Service's Marine section and private companies to remove the vessels. Those companies donating time and resources include Mill Creek Marine Ltd., Island Construction, and Atlantic Mooring Maintenance.

The Government spokesman said it was estimated there were 150 abandoned boats, but that the problem could be much larger.

"This doesn't include boats abandoned on land, above the high water mark [for example deep in the mangroves], or smaller punts, sailboats, windsurfers, kayaks and so on, that are harder to see," he said.

"There are several hundred boats that look derelict or abandoned but are kept afloat on moorings by the owners or caretakers. There are also many boats, perhaps more than 1,000, without up-to-date registration decals or registration numbers.

"It is often very difficult to trace the owners of some boats due to lack of identification on the boats or previous owners claiming they have sold the boat to another party and they are no longer responsible for the vessel.

"In other cases boat owners leave the Island and abandon their boat, while some people die without making arrangements for the boat, and some people are incarcerated."

He added: "No area of the Island is immune to the problem, with sunken and abandoned boats littering bays and inlets from St. George's to Sandys.

"Boat owners are advised to make sure their moorings and boats are registered, to display the registration numbers and current registration decal. Otherwise they may be removed and the owners could be liable for the cost of removal."

Anyone selling a boat must give the name of the new owner to Marine and Ports within seven days of the sale, or commit an offence under the 1990 Boats Regulations.

Anyone wanting to dispose of a boat should contact Ms Moran on 294-4450.