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Subscriber only From a UFO to a piece of the ill-fated flight MH17 - these were just some of the theories people offered up when an unidentified black object washed ashore at Seaforth Beach. The Seaforth Community Noticeboard Facebook group blew up with comments after a member posted photos of the strange object on Tuesday morning. Some suggested it could be a nose cone off a UFO, a helicopter fuel tank or even a whale s stackhat . But thanks to Maritime Safety Queensland, the mystery has finally been solved. MSQ general manager Angus Mitchell said marine officers attended the site Tuesday morning and retrieved what appeared to be a large plastic tank.
Coast Guard crews fed up with being sidelined by red tape are desperate to join the war on wrecks, in a bid to rid waterways of dangerous derelict vessels.
Exasperated Coast Guard volunteers vented their frustration earlier this week at regulations hindering the organisation from assisting with derelict vessels.
Mooloolaba Coast Guard deputy commander Rod Ashlin said crews had copped abuse because they were unable to touch any vessel without owner’s permission.
Gusty conditions often caused derelict vessels to break their moorings, floating into other boats or personal property.
Recent wild weather prompted the volunteer marine rescue organisation to again appeal to Maritime Safety Queensland to grant them additional powers.
The interactive map of the Cooloola Coast shows the location of all the derelict vessels in the region. Another four derelicts vessels in the inlet have yet to be removed, and six more have been identifed as possible risks. Boaties are glad to see the back of them, but it comes at a cost. Noosa Commercial Boatman s Association spokesman Craig McGovern welcomed Maritime Safety Queensland s four-year, $20 million War on Wrecks program. He told News Corp, abandoned, unsightly and unsafe houseboats have been a bone of contention. for decades . They re a danger and they re polluting the river and they end up getting vandalised and the tinny rats get on them and make it worse, Mr McGovern said.
Using $8.1 million of the allocated funding, this equates to $11,756 per boat retrieved. But it was money well spent as far as Mr McGovern was concerned. We welcome any initiative that adds to the environmental and visual improvement of the river, he said. The Boatman s Association spokesman added it wouldn t be such a cost to taxpayers if owners took responsibility for their derelict vessels. It s a shame the government has to do it, Mr McGovern said. We know they are working with a few of the owners, unfortunately it is a slow process. Maritime Safety Queensland advised it was the vessel owner s responsibility to maintain their vessels to the necessary standard or appropriately dispose of them.