# Abandoned and sunken boats

Markdown version of https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/abandoned-and-sunken-boats. Updated on 2026-11-12.

A sunken or stranded boat still belongs to its owner until the port captaincy declares it abandoned, and the law orders the owner to remove it at their own cost[^abandonados-lncm]. If you are an owner, a marina, a port administration or a municipality, the route goes through the port captaincy. Bluegreen removes and recycles abandoned and sunken boats across Mexico.

> This page is general information, current as of its update date. It does not replace legal advice for a specific case. Laws are cited by their Spanish names.

## What each party can do

| If you are | What you can do |
| --- | --- |
| Owner or operator | Remove, refloat or scrap the vessel at your own cost, with authorisation from the port captaincy[^abandonados-lncm][^abandonados-semar] |
| Marina or port administration | Notify the port captaincy. If a vessel in temporary lay up is in danger of sinking or is an obstruction, the captaincy orders it towed, on its own initiative or at the port administration's request[^abandonados-lncm] |
| Municipality | Coordinate the removal with the port captaincy, which runs the abandonment procedure. In Cancún in 2026 the municipality keeps removed boats on a municipal lot while that procedure runs[^abandonados-nichupte-2026] |
| Anyone | Notify the port captaincy if you find a derelict[^abandonados-lncm] and report environmental damage to PROFEPA, the federal environmental enforcement agency[^abandonados-lgeepa] |

Until abandonment is declared, the vessel still belongs to its owner[^abandonados-lncm]. That is why a marina or a municipality does not cut it up on its own: they ask the port captaincy to order the removal or declare the vessel abandoned.

## Why they pollute

An abandoned boat corrodes, breaks apart and releases what it carries. Its effects on the coast include oil pollution, marine debris and wildlife entrapment, and they grow as the hull breaks into smaller pieces[^abandonados-noaa].

- **Fuel and oils.** Whatever is left in tanks, engines and bilges reaches the water as the hull corrodes. In large wrecks, most of the oil still on board will eventually be released[^abandonados-michel].
- **Heavy metals.** In Cancún's Nichupté lagoon, boats sinking slowly release heavy metals and oils and put Morelet's crocodile, the manatee and waterbirds at risk, according to an October 2025 report[^abandonados-nichupte-2025].
- **Antifouling paint.** Tributyltin (TBT) in hull paints deforms oysters, changes the sex of whelks and persists in the water until it enters the food chain. An IMO convention in force since 2008 requires it to be prohibited or restricted[^abandonados-imo-afs].
- **Batteries and other waste.** Lead batteries, used oils and polychlorinated biphenyls are hazardous waste under Mexican law[^lgpgir].
- **Seabed damage.** The hull scours, shades and crushes corals and seagrass, and it is a hazard to navigation[^abandonados-noaa].

## How many there are

- **8,569**: wrecks worldwide at risk of leaking oil; 1,583 are tankers[^abandonados-michel]
- **2.5 to 20.4 Mt**: of oil may remain in those wrecks, between the low and the high estimate[^abandonados-michel]
- **Over 75%**: of those wrecks date from World War II[^abandonados-michel]

That 2005 count only includes ships of 400 gross tonnage or more, and tankers from 150[^abandonados-michel]. Launches, yachts and small fishing boats are not in it. In Mexico, the press has documented these cases:

- **Nichupté lagoon, Cancún** (2025 and 2026): In October 2025 more than 80 abandoned boats were reported in the lagoon, most of them fibreglass[^abandonados-nichupte-2025]. In September 2026 the municipality, the port captaincy, the protected areas commission (CONANP) and local boat operators began removing 14 of the 45 to 50 abandoned, half sunken or stranded boats, in three stages through December[^abandonados-nichupte-2026].
- **Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche** (2021 and 2025): In 2021, 26 vessels of Oceanografía, a bankrupt company, sat at the docks of the Isla del Carmen port; the environmental authority had ordered them out of the Laguna de Términos protected area, and that year only two ships had left Campeche's ports[^abandonados-carmen-2021]. In November 2025 local groups asked for the removal of vessels stranded on beaches and at the mouth of the Zacatal that are eroding the coast and affecting turtle nesting areas[^abandonados-carmen-2025].
- **Both coasts** (2008): A document cited by Expansión counted 300 abandoned or laid up vessels on Mexico's two coasts that needed to be dismantled[^abandonados-expansion-2008].

## Who is liable under Mexican law

The Navigation and Maritime Commerce Law places the obligation on the owner or operator[^abandonados-lncm]:

- **Removal order.** If a vessel adrift, sunk or aground is a danger to navigation, fishing or other maritime activities, or to the environment, the Navy Ministry orders the owner to mark, remove, repair, scuttle or clean it up at their own cost. The owner has three months; otherwise the Ministry can remove or sink it at the owner's expense[^abandonados-lncm].
- **Six months without an order.** If there is no danger, the owner has six months from the casualty to remove it[^abandonados-lncm].
- **It is still yours.** Until abandonment is declared, the owner of the wrecked vessel remains its owner[^abandonados-lncm].
- **Declaration of abandonment.** The captaincy issues it if the vessel spends 10 working days in port with no operations, no crew and no request for temporary lay up (30 outside port), if the lay up expires without the vessel returning to service, or if it ran aground or sank and no salvage was carried out within the deadline[^abandonados-lncm].
- **If no one complies.** The vessel becomes property of the Nation and the Ministry can remove and sell it; if the sale does not cover the costs, the owner pays the difference[^abandonados-lncm]. If there is a risk of pollution, the captaincy can order it scrapped at the expense of those responsible[^abandonados-rlncm].
- **Fine.** Failing to mark, remove or extract within the set deadline is fined 10,000 to 50,000 times the Unit of Measure and Update (UMA)[^abandonados-lncm].
- **Insurance.** Every vessel sailing in Mexican waters must carry protection and indemnity insurance for civil liability[^abandonados-lncm]. Ask your insurer what it covers in a removal.

## How a vessel is removed

1. **Assessment**: Photos, location, measurements, condition (afloat, aground or sunk) and documents. If it is sunk, the depth and access.
2. **Plan**: How it will be raised, where it goes and how long it takes, with a written offer.
3. **Permits**: Extraction, removal or refloating is authorised by the port captaincy under procedure SEMAR-05-022: it requires a guarantee or insurance policy, the destination of the removal and a commitment not to use explosives, and the authorisation is valid for six months[^abandonados-semar]. For 2026 the fee is MXN 7,710.30[^abandonados-lfd].
4. **Salvage or refloating**: The vessel is marked, secured and refloated or lifted with platforms, cranes or bilge pumps, on the terms set by the harbour master[^abandonados-lncm].
5. **Preparation**: Fuel, oils, batteries and waste are removed before cutting. A hull sunk as an artificial reef is prepared the same way: before the former ship Onjuku was sunk off Tamaulipas in May 2026, oils, plastics and toxic materials were removed under the supervision of the Navy and SEMARNAT[^abandonados-onjuku].
6. **Dismantling**: It is cut in sections on land, at a boatyard or afloat, with a scrapping authorisation. See [ship recycling](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/ship-recycling).
7. **Recycling**: Steel, non ferrous metals and equipment are separated; every load is weighed and leaves with a Carta Porte and a CFDI.

## What is recovered

The metal from a removed vessel is paid for, and the offer depends on the vessel. This is what it usually contains:

| Part | Material | Where it goes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Steel hull | Steel | Cut and melted at a steel mill. See [steel](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/steel) |
| Aluminum hull | Aluminum | See [aluminum scrap](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/aluminum-scrap) |
| Fibreglass hull | Not metal | Separated from the fittings and sent for final disposal |
| Propellers and valves | Bronze and brass | See [bronze and brass](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/bronze-and-brass-scrap) |
| Cabling and electric motors | Copper | See [copper scrap](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/copper-scrap) |
| Engines and equipment | Iron, steel and aluminum | Checked for reuse |
| Batteries, oils and fuel | Hazardous waste | Sent to authorised management[^lgpgir] |

## How to report a boat or request a removal

- **If you found a vessel adrift, sunk or aground**, notify the port captaincy right away with a statement of what you saw. The law requires anyone who finds a derelict to report it[^abandonados-lncm]. The location, date, condition and photos help.
- **If it is polluting**, you can file a complaint with PROFEPA or, if there is no office where you are, with the municipality[^abandonados-lgeepa].
- **If you are an owner, a marina, a port administration or a municipality and want it removed**, send us the location, photos, measurements and what you know about the owner and the procedures. [Write to us](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/#contacto) or use the button on this page.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who pays to remove a sunken boat?

The owner or operator. If they do not comply with the order in time, the Navy Ministry can do it at their cost, and if the sale of what is recovered does not cover it, the owner pays the difference[^abandonados-lncm].

### Can a marina scrap an abandoned boat at its docks?

Not on its own: scrapping requires proof of ownership or lawful possession[^desguace-semar]. The marina notifies the port captaincy, which orders the owner to remove it or declares the boat abandoned[^abandonados-lncm].

### When is a boat considered abandoned?

When the port captaincy issues the declaration; for example, after 10 working days in port with no operations or crew, or if it sank and no salvage was carried out within the deadline[^abandonados-lncm].

### What happens to a boat after it is removed?

It depends on the case. In Cancún in 2026, removed boats are kept on a municipal lot; owners can recover them by paying the fines and costs, and those nobody claims within three to five months are destroyed[^abandonados-nichupte-2026].

### Does a sunken boat keep polluting over the years?

Yes. Corrosion lets out the fuel and oils left on board; in large wrecks, most of the oil will eventually be released[^abandonados-michel].

### Do you pay for the metal?

Yes, the metal is paid for. The offer depends on the vessel, and we give it to you in writing after the assessment.

### Where do you work?

In every state of Mexico, and we assess projects abroad.

## Sources

[^abandonados-lncm]: Cámara de Diputados, leyes federales vigentes, «Ley de Navegación y Comercio Marítimos, arts. 87 a 89, 167 a 173, 176 y 328 (última reforma DOF 14 de noviembre de 2025)» (vigente). https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LNCM.pdf
[^abandonados-semar]: Secretaría de Marina (SEMAR), «Ficha del trámite SEMAR-05-022, Autorización para remoción de embarcaciones o artefactos navales» (2024). https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/911957/SEMAR-05-022.pdf
[^abandonados-nichupte-2026]: Por Esto, «Inicia el retiro de las 14 embarcaciones abandonadas de la laguna Nichupté tras años de reclamos (24 de septiembre de 2026)» (2026). https://www.poresto.com/quintana-roo/cancun/2026/9/24/retiran-14-embarcaciones-abandonadas-de-la-laguna-nichupte-tras-anos-de-reclamos.html
[^abandonados-lgeepa]: Cámara de Diputados, leyes federales vigentes, «Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente, art. 189» (vigente). https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGEEPA.pdf
[^abandonados-noaa]: NOAA Office of Response and Restoration, «The Anatomy of Abandoned and Derelict Vessels» (2026). https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/anatomy-abandoned-and-derelict-vessels
[^abandonados-michel]: International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC), «Michel, Etkin, Gilbert, Urban, Waldron y Blocksidge, Potentially Polluting Wrecks in Marine Waters, issue paper de la International Oil Spill Conference» (2005). https://filelib.wildlife.ca.gov/public/OSPR/SS_Montebello/IOSC%20potentially%20polluting%20wrecks.pdf
[^abandonados-nichupte-2025]: Por Esto, «Más de 80 embarcaciones abandonadas contaminan la laguna Nichupté de Cancún (5 de octubre de 2025)» (2025). https://www.poresto.com/quintana-roo/cancun/2025/10/5/mas-de-80-embarcaciones-abandonadas-contaminan-la-laguna-nichupte-de-cancun.html
[^abandonados-imo-afs]: International Maritime Organization (IMO), «Anti-fouling systems (International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships)» (2026). https://www.imo.org/en/ourwork/environment/pages/anti-fouling.aspx
[^lgpgir]: Cámara de Diputados, leyes federales vigentes, «Ley General para la Prevención y Gestión Integral de los Residuos» (vigente). https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGPGIR.pdf
[^abandonados-carmen-2021]: Por Esto, «Barcos abandonados de Oceanografía dañan el ambiente marino en Ciudad del Carmen (6 de agosto de 2021)» (2021). https://www.poresto.com/campeche/2021/8/6/barcos-abandonados-de-oceanografia-danan-el-ambiente-marino-en-ciudad-del-carmen-mapa.html
[^abandonados-carmen-2025]: Por Esto, «Barcos encallados en Ciudad del Carmen destruyen la zona costera (10 de noviembre de 2025)» (2025). https://www.poresto.com/campeche/ciudad-carmen/2025/11/10/barcos-encallados-en-ciudad-del-carmen-destruyen-la-zona-costera.html
[^abandonados-expansion-2008]: Expansión, «Navíos en desuso: chatarra millonaria (29 de enero de 2008)» (2008). https://expansion.mx/obras/pulso-de-la-construccion/navios-en-desuso-chatarra-millonaria
[^abandonados-rlncm]: Cámara de Diputados, leyes federales vigentes, «Reglamento de la Ley de Navegación y Comercio Marítimos, art. 682» (vigente). https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/regley/Reg_LNCM_040315.pdf
[^abandonados-lfd]: Cámara de Diputados, leyes federales vigentes, «Ley Federal de Derechos, art. 195-Z, fracción VI (cantidades para 2026)» (2026). https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LFD.pdf
[^abandonados-onjuku]: El Imparcial, «La Marina usó explosivos para sumergir el histórico buque Onjuku frente a Tamaulipas (15 de mayo de 2026)» (2026). https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/2026/05/15/la-marina-uso-explosivos-para-sumergir-el-historico-buque-onjuku-frente-a-tamaulipas-y-transformarlo-en-un-inmenso-refugio-de-acero-que-ahora-servira-como-el-corazon-de-un-arrecife-artificial-disenado-para-salvar-la-biodiversidad-del-golfo-y-reactivar-la-pesca-en-la-region/
[^desguace-semar]: Secretaría de Marina (SEMAR), «Ficha del trámite SEMAR-05-020, Autorización para desguace de embarcaciones o artefactos navales» (2024). https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/911959/SEMAR-05-020.pdf