BoatUS Foundation Launches First National Database to Track Abandoned Boats and Derelict Vessels Across US

SPRINGFIELD, Va, Nov. 5, 2025 - The non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has developed a databasethat will identify the locations of abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) across the U.S., freely associated states and U.S. territories and track their removal.

Created in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, this national database will allow visitors to report abandoned and derelict vessels on their coastlines, allowing the issue to be better understood on a national scale with the support of the public. Eventually, this database will be able to track the impacts of removal and prevention efforts by showing how the number of ADVs across the country may one day decrease.

Abandoned and derelict vessels can crush or smother sensitive plants and corals, leach fuel and other pollutants into the water, threaten safe navigation, and contribute to economic losses. Removing ADVs is a costly effort, often averaging more than $24,000 to remove a single boat.

"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," said 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."

Along with the database, the BoatUS Foundation awarded grants this year to support ADV removal efforts across Alaska, Guam, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington.

The database, regional removal grants, and efforts to raise awareness on boating-related debris disposal-including the Second annual "Turning the Tide" conference in New Orleans in December 2026-are supported by the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

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ABOUT:

BoatUS Foundationis leading a nationally competitive grant program for the removal of abandoned and derelict vessels throughout coastal and marine areas of the United States, including the Great Lakes, U.S. territories, and Freely Associated States. This project is supported by the NOAA Marine Debris Program. In an effort to help educate and prevent future ADVs, the Foundation will also create a national ADV database to track the scope of the challenge and measure success, document ADV prevention and removal activities to share with the public, and support a national dialogue and education efforts on boating-related debris disposal. Learn more about the Marine Debris Program by visiting marinedebris.noaa.gov.