Mexican Authorities To Remove Abandoned Vessels in Bahia de La Paz

Heidi Benson Stagg is liveaboard sailor on Sonho, a 1979 Tayana 42, homeported in Alameda, CA. She’s been cruising the Sea of Cortez since 2022 and is commodore of Club Cruceros de La Paz. Heidi is alerting readers to the Mexican authorities’ plan to remove abandoned vessels in Bahia de La Paz.

October 2023’s Tropical Storm Norma was downgraded from hurricane status, but the damage was still incredibly devastating to the boating community. Over 40 vessels were beached, in addition to those damaged and sunk at marinas. Ten months later many still remain. Other boats have been abandoned or sunk at their moorings going back years before the recent storm.

The Port Administration of Baja California Sur (API-BCS) issued a press release on August 1, requesting all moored-boat owners to register their vessels for hurricane season at the municipal offices. Those that have not been registered by the end of August will be considered abandoned and actions will be taken by the relevant authorities to prevent sinking or damage to other vessels during a weather emergency. To aid this mission, API-BCS has also begun identifying and tracking vessels with a georeferencing system.

On August 16, API-BCS distributed a notice demanding that all beached boats, and boats that are moored or anchored and are “out of operation and do not fulfill the purpose for which [they were] built,” be removed and either disposed of or taken to a facility for repair.

The regional port captain of La Paz is offering assistance to those who do not have the means to remove boats, and is asking for help in identifying owners of abandoned boats so they may be contacted. They will offer guidance at their offices, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The deadline to remove/move vessels or communicate with the port captain is August 26. After that date, vessels will be moved by the authorities to a storage yard, and recovery will include providing proof of ownership and reimbursement for costs associated with the removal.

This all comes on the heels of recent activity by Mar Libre, a group of local volunteers who give talks on environmental education in La Paz schools all year round and conduct monthly cleanup at reefs and mangroves. (They completed their 110th consecutive monthly cleanup in July!) The group is led by retired marine biologist Pablo Ahuja, who is passionate about protecting our marine ecosystem.

In the past few months, Mar Libre has organized the removal of eight beached boats. Club Cruceros of La Paz donated a large portion of their disaster relief fund to aid in these efforts, which required the rental of heavy machinery to break up the boats for deposit into a dumpster and hauling them to a landfill site.

The hope is that the Mexican authorities will now take on the essential work to clear the derelict vessels and protect our ecosystem before the heavy-weather months of September and October cause further damage.

For the full verbiage of the press releases (in Spanish and translated to English) and to follow updates from the authorities as they are provided, visit the Club Cruceros Facebook group or the website.

For information on how to support the efforts of Mar Libre, visit their Facebook group, or email [email protected].