Prince William set to help with the abandoned boats crises in England
In recent years, IIMS has published a number of articles about the growing problem of what to do with end-of-life boats and the challenges of recycling them. It remains a thorny subject.
But now it seems the problem comes with the seal of Royal approval. I have read that none other than Prince William, a future King of England, and his Duchy of Cornwall have pledged to address the issue of abandoned boats in rivers and harbours in England’s west country.
The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate established by Edward III in 1337. Its charter dictates that each future Duke of Cornwall will be the eldest surviving son of the Monarch and heir to the throne. The revenue from the estate is used to fund the public, private and charitable activities of The Duke and his immediate family.
The plan is to start with the removal of vessels on the River Avon in Devon. This decision follows complaints from locals about six deteriorating boats, one of which is nearly submerged during high tide. It’s common knowledge among boat owners that derelict vessels leak pollutants and adversely affect the waterways and the wildlife they support.
The Duchy, which owns the River Avon’s riverbed, says it will collaborate with its moorings manager to deal with the boats. The river is littered with about 100 abandoned vessels, while hundreds more clutter other rivers and harbours throughout Devon and Cornwall, as well as in other parts of the UK.
How much for a gold superyacht? Answer: considerably less than it used to be!
It seems that the second-hand market for superyachts has softened and is not as strong as it was. I read that the 162-foot Khalilah, which is a must for the man (or woman) who wants to get noticed at sea, is up for sale. What’s more, it comes with its own matching miniature chase boat. The gleaming gold Khalilah is said to be the largest private ship built entirely out of carbon composite. The vessel was originally delivered in 2014, appeared on the market briefly in 2019 and again in 2023.
The yacht has a unique tri-hull design that makes it especially wide. The accommodation boasts five cabins that can house eleven people, plus extra space for a crew of nine.
In November 2024, yacht brokerage My Ocean took on the task of selling Khalilah. They knocked €1 million off the price and then slashed another €2 million more recently. It’s on the market for €19.9 million currently.
Since My Ocean took on the yacht, there’s been a cooling market, hence the price drops. According to a report the market has been steadily quietening down over the past four years, and it’s not predicted to stop anytime soon. Compared with 2023, sales of used yachts last year, such as the Khalilah, were down 9%. “Industry observers are seeing that sellers are gradually getting to grips with the price expectations that prospective buyers have,” the report notes. “In practice, this means we are seeing more and bigger price adjustments.”
So, the moral of this story is that it’s a great time to buy a second-hand superyacht, gold or otherwise. Sadly, it is still a bit out of my reach!
Lithium-ion batteries: a growing risk for yacht fires?
A rather concerning interview given to Marine Industry News last month by Philippa Langton (partner) and Jessica Slater (solicitor) from UK law firm Lester Aldridge certainly caught my attention. Let me explain. It follows an incident on 9 January 2025 when a fire broke out on board the m/y Naisca IV while moored near Marseille. Initial indications are that the fire, which ultimately destroyed the Naisca IV and caused damage to two neighbouring yachts, originated from a lithium-ion battery.
Now you must have been hiding under a rock if you are not familiar with the onslaught of lithium-ion battery technology in recent times and some of the inherent dangers associated with it, which the regulators are grappling with.
But it was the suggestion that a surveyor could be implicated in the event of a lithium-ion battery fire disaster that stopped me in my tracks. Surveyors already have enough on their plates, and this seem like a worrying new train of thought in my opinion. The full article can be read at https://bit.ly/4gklYYR. Without taking bits from the story out of context, let me give you a flavour by quoting two paragraphs that specifically point towards a surveyor’s potential liability.
“Where evidence points to a defect in a lithium-ion battery, which was possibly used aboard a tender or luxury superyacht equipment (personal watercraft, e-bikes and other toys), the owners of the Naisca IV might have grounds to pursue recourse claims against manufacturers or suppliers or against surveyors or crew who failed to detect issues during inspections or maintenance. As the use of this sophisticated equipment increases, so too does the expectation of reasonable diligence in its maintenance and operation.”
“The hull insurers, who will want to have been involved in investigating the incident from the outset, might then pursue subrogated claims against any third party (such as manufacturers or surveyors) who might seem to hold ultimate responsibility.”
Of course, for now, this is just hypothetical, but it is certainly food for thought and perhaps a new caveat is required when writing a report.
Until next time.
Mike Schwarz
