November 20, 2025 — An effort to address thousands of abandoned and derelict boats creating dangerous conditions for marine environments and navigational safety throughout the U.S. is expected to shine a broader light on a growing problem with a new, first of its kind national database that will log locations and track vessel removals.
“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 Alanna Keating, BoatUS Foundation director of outreach.
The database is a collaborative effort between BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Debris Program. It will be used to pinpoint the exact location of ditched and derelict boats across the country and U.S. territories, and track their removal.
The database will allow the public to log abandoned and derelict vessels they encounter during their excursions. At some point, the database will highlight the impact of prevention and removal of the vessels by showcasing a decrease in the number of abandoned and derelict vessels.
“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,” Keating said. “This database is just one part of our critical work that could help make ADVs (abandoned and derelict vessels) a thing of the past.”
Whether the database will log and track abandoned and derelict commercial and recreational vessels or just focus on recreational vessels is unknown. The issue of abandoned boats in the U.S. dates back nearly a century, with many of the original vessels being shipwrecks.