HOBOKEN–Two of the six sunken boats in the cove between Weehawken and Hoboken are being removed today, Monday, May 7.
A spokesperson for the city, Santiago Melli-Huber, said two of the six boats were being removed as “those two are the ones that pose an immediate public safety risk. We have to work with the DMV because the other four don’t pose an immediate safety risk, so it’s a different process for removal.”
According to Melli-Huber children were playing on the two boats in question due to their close proximity to the rocks. He noted there is also concern that they could become loose.
Many of the boats have lain for years in the bottom of Weehawken Cove.
People have anchored their boats for free in the cove, only to have them capsize when a big storm rolls through. Some of the boats have been submerged since Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and removal has proven difficult.
Hoboken Fire Chief Brian Crimmins said removal was “long overdue.”
He said the boats are not only an eyesore but a hazard.
“Its a hazard to navigation,” said Crimmins. “They could crash into a boat or ferry. We have two marinas within half a mile and two ferry terminals within half a mile of the cove.”
Crimmins noted that the cove is not a designated anchorage area.
He said the Army Corp of Engineers does not remove capsized boats unless they pose an imminent hazard such as drifting farther into the river and that the boat removal can be very expensive; a barge with a crane must be hired to have them pulled up from the cove’s floor.
Melli-Huber said the removal of the two boats cost $15,200 but that the owners have been identified, and they will be billed for the cost of removal.
