The non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has launched a national database designed to identify, track, and document abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) across the US, its territories, and freely associated states.
The foundation says the new initiative aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the scale of the issue, while also encouraging public participation in reporting.
The database, developed in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, allows users to report ADVs along coastlines. Over time, the data will track the results of removal and prevention initiatives to show changes in the number of ADVs nationwide.
Abandoned and derelict vessels can damage sensitive habitats, release pollutants, obstruct navigation routes and cause economic losses. BoatUS Foundation estimated the cost of removing a single ADV can exceed $24,000.
“When we finally understand the scope of the problem, communities all over the country will be better able to remove abandoned and derelict vessels on their local coastlines,” says BoatUS Foundation director of outreach Alanna Keating.
“With the information the database provides, they will be able to know exactly where they need to dedicate resources, whether that be towards removing vessels or preventing them from becoming abandoned in the first place. This database is just one part of our critical work that could help make ADVs a thing of the past.”
In addition to launching the database, the BoatUS Foundation awarded grants in 2025 to support ADV removal efforts across Alaska, Guam, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, the US Virgin Islands and Washington.
BoatUS Foundation’s abandoned and derelict vessel database is online now.
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