The Department of Marine and Ports Services is urging owners of damaged boats to quickly move the damaged vessels to a safe location, or repair them.

While Marine Services Officer Deborah Moran said the department sympathised with those whose boats were damaged, or torn from their moorings, during Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gonzalo, those boats must be moved by November 10.

“Whilst we understand there’s a lot of cleaning up to do, it’s important that individuals take responsibility for removing their vessels as soon as they can, not only from an environmental standpoint, but also because some of these sunken vessels prevent other people accessing their moorings and foreshore,” she said.

“As much as we want to give people leeway to attend to their vessels we can’t permit vessels to lie wrecked indefinitely and there will be a timeline for removal.”

A statement from the department warned that all vessels still lying wrecked as of November 10 will come under the Bermuda wreck removal process, and boat owners will be liable for all removal costs incurred by the department.

All affected boat owners are encouraged to contact the boats and moorings section to advise of their intended timeline in attending to their vessels.

Anyone who has not been able to locate their wrecked vessel is urged to contact the boats and moorings section right away.

Regarding moorings that may have been dragged by the storm, the department said that all moorings have recently been remapped. The public should notify the department about any moorings that are being repositioned, so they can be returned to their confirmed pre-storm locations.

For any questions or concerns, owners can contact the boats and moorings section on 294-4454 or 294-4453 or e-mail boatsandmoorings@gov.bm.