Former Sea Shepherd Vessel Heads for Scrapyard

The derelict former Sea Shepherd vessel Farley Mowat has shuttled between multiple Canadian ports over the past eight years as her current owners determine what to do with her hull. Following a costly sinking and refloating last summer, she must be removed from the port of Shelburne, Nova Scotia - or face fines. 

The vessel was seized at gunpoint by Canadian police in 2008 during a protest against an annual seal hunt, and she was confiscated and sold; her crew were fined and deported. Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson said at the time that the action - which occurred in international waters - was "an act of war." 

Following her sale, the Mowat sat idle in Lunenburg's harbor, then at Shelburne, Nova Scotia. She sank at her berth in Shelburne in June 2015, requiring the Canadian Coast Guard to refloat her and clean her at an expense of about $500,000. 

Her present owner, Tracy Dodds, has been ordered by a federal court to remove her from Shelburne by April 8, or to face fines - and possibly imprisonment. 

Dodd has reportedly ignored two prior court orders to remove the vessel, but local authorities told the National Post that this time, there seemed to be activity, and Dodds is preparing to move her. 

CBC has linked Dodds to multiple abandoned vessels along Nova Scotia, with legal proceedings and unpaid dock fees attending each. His fleet allegedly includes the tug Craig Trans, the trawler Tenacity I, and the fishing vessel Kings Endeavour, all facing orders for removal from their present berths and claims for back fees totaling to nearly $150,000. He was also connected to the derelict fishing vessel Ryan Atlantic II, which also sank while pierside; he told CBC that he had sold the Ryan Atlantic beore her sinking.