New Law Paves the Way for Abandoned Vessel Removal in Charleston
A contractor working for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has extracted a former U.S. Navy torpedo recovery vessel from a marsh outside of Charleston, South Carolina, the first boat recovered under the state's new statute on vessel abandonment.
Four years ago, private citizen Mohamad "Sam" Kodaimati bought the torpedo retriever TWR-841 from a surplus auction, paying a total of $86,000 for the disused 120-foot vessel. TWR-841 was purpose-built for the needs of torpedo R&D at Naval UnderSea Warfare Center Newport in 1986, one of a series of 10, and was decommissioned in 2019. The vessel had useful attributes for a general-purpose coastal survey or research boat - CTD sensors, twin Cat 3512 engines, a stern U-frame, a deck winch with 5,000 feet of wire, a knuckle crane, berthing for 10 scientists or techs, and a max science payload of 17 tonnes.
Kodaimati renamed TWR-841 as the Hazar and got under way to relocate the vessel. Hazar was boarded in New York on June 24, 2021 and cited for hazardous conditions and unsafe operation. The citation was lifted, and Hazar arrived in Charleston, South Carolina the following month. On July 16, 2021, the Charleston Captain of the Port ordered Kodaimati not to operate Hazar any further because the vessel lacked appropriate federal documentation. That order was never fully resolved, and Hazar remained in the backwaters of Bohicket Creek, southwest of Charleston.
Over the years, Hazar took on water and settled to the bottom at her anchorage. The Coast Guard pumped off the boat's tanks to remove oily water and minimize environmental harm, but the vessel remained. Residents complained to state and local officials about the environmental hazards and unsightliness of the wreck, and petitioned for its removal. The state obliged: Earlier this year, South Carolina's legislature passed a new, stringent law to impose penalties for abandonment and create state procedures for removing derelict vessels, paving the way for a refloat operation.
This week, Stevens Towing Company mobilized to the wreck site and began preparations to remove Hazar under contract to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The wreck was pumped out, refloated and extracted from the mud on the bank of the creek. A tug relocated the vessel to a nearby boat yard for disposal; it is as yet undetermined whether the Hazar will be reefed or cut up for scrap.
The new law also provided for Kodaimati's arrest. He was detained in July and charged with two counts of abandoning a watercraft; if convicted of these misdemeanor charges, he faces potential fines in the five figures, plus restitution for the state's removal costs, which were in excess of $200,000.