Boat removal will end 10-year 'blight' on harbour

A boat that sank in a Devon harbour more than 10 years ago "won't be missed" as work begins to remove it.

The Accumulate fishing vessel, formerly known as Saint Christophe I, has been moored in Brixham Harbour, Devon, since the incident in Dartmouth in March 2016.

Demolition firm Gilpin has been called in by Torbay Council to dismantle the boat, with an inflatable boom in place to prevent harbour pollution, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Tor Bay Harbour Authority, which manages the harbour for the council, said the vessel had "blighted" the quay for years. The council said the cost of disposal would be in the region of £120,000.

The boat ran aground and toppled over while tied up alongside the embankment in Dartmouth after the tide dropped.

Its five-man French crew had sought shelter from stormy weather when it came into Dartmouth.

A report from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said "language difficulties" between the crew and harbour staff contributed to the boat sinking.

Once salvaged, the vessel was sold to a new owner, but plans for its future - which included turning it into a floating disco - have not come to fruition.

After efforts to make contact with the new owner came to nothing, the then harbourmaster Rob Parsons said he would sell the boat for £1 to anyone who would take it away.

Writing on social media, the Tor Bay Harbour Authority said: "The demolition crew from our friends at Gilpins Demolition will remove her piece-by-piece after blighting the harbour for years. We won't miss her."

The council said the disposal formed part of a wider initiative to address long-standing derelict and "arrested" vessels in the harbour.

"Our priority remains the safety of harbour users, the protection of the marine environment, and the long‑term stewardship of Brixham Harbour," a spokesperson added.

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