Hundreds of derelict vessels removed from Canadian waters, Coast Guard says

The Canadian Coast Guard is working its way through a Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act inventory, armed with the power to fine owners of vessels that threaten marine environments or public safety.

Vancouver developer Howard Meakin has owned the famed Expo 86-era floating McDonald's restaurant vessel known as the McBarge for decades, and despite its outward appearance, by no means is it derelict, he says.

The vessel was made famous during the 1986 World Exposition in Vancouver as a floating McDonald's restaurant, though the vessel official name was the "Friendship 500."

Meakin said he was surprised to learn in recent media reports that the vessel appeared on the federal government's national inventory of wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels.

It has since been removed from the Canadian Coast Guard's list.

"It's just ridiculous because it's never been abandoned," Meakin said in an interview. "The hull is in pristine condition. We've had it surveyed and it's concrete, the hull is concrete. It has a life expectancy of probably well over 100 years."

Up until 2019, it wasn't even illegal in Canada to abandon a boat in the country's waters, and now the Canadian Coast Guard is working its way through the inventory, armed with the power to fine owners of hazardous vessels that threaten marine environments or public safety.

So far, only one vessel's owner has been issued a fine under Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act.