Steve Frankland from Boatbreakers.com discusses the problem (2nd August 2022)
The problem of abandoned boats is one that is growing across the UK and Europe. One of the main feeders into this problem is the buying of cheap project boats. These boats are often bought and end up dumped because they have no perceived value to the owners. In most cases the owners may not have the money to complete the project. Then they definitely don't have the money to scrap the boat through the correct channels. As the boat is left to rot it will begin to break down and harmful GRP microfibres will enter the surrounding environment. Also if boats end up sinking the bill to collect and dispose of them shoots up as dive teams are so costly to deploy. In this video Steve talks about the issue near some of the abandoned and soon to be abandoned boats in our local area of Gosport.
A twelve minute video explainer from Brighton University (22nd Sept 2021)
The ocean is the final sink for most of the anthropogenic waste. Concern about accumulation of marine debris has increased in the past decades and scientists at the University of Brighton have recently uncovered a new emerging contaminant – FibreGlass reinforced plastic (FRP or GRP). One of the main challenges to dealing with this ever growing waste stream, has been related to the indestructible nature of GRP composites; add the number of fiberglass boats that were produced in large volumes back in the 70's and 80’s, and now reaching end-of-life, plus the lack of legislation around disposal and recycling! A perfect storm! The Centre for Aquatic Environments (https://www.brighton.ac.uk/aquatic/in...) has co-funded the production of this video that highlights this emerging environmental issue.
