The owner of a 120-foot former U.S. Navy decommissioned torpedo vessel has been charged under a new South Carolina law aimed at removing neglected and derelict boats from state waters.
The state Department of Natural Resources said on July 22 it arrested 64-year-old Mohamad Haisam Kodaimati, who also goes by Samuel, for leaving the vessel in Bohicket Creek near Johns Island in Charleston County.
Kodaimati is the first person to be charged under the new law.
Kodaimati was booked into the Charleston County Detention Center.
Jail records provided to SC Public Radio show Kodaimati posted bail of $2,174 and was released Wednesday.
State DNR said the vessel sat in the marsh next to a private dock for years.
In 2021, Kodaimati was issued a Captain of the Port order for improper documentation, which made the vessel inoperable under federal maritime law. Late last year, the U.S. Coast Guard responded after the vessel was recorded as an environmental hazard. The Coast Guard removed 3,500 gallons of hazardous oil and oily water onboard, DNR said.
DNR said Kodaimati faces fines totaling $43,400.
“This arrest underscores our commitment to protecting South Carolina’s natural resources and holding accountable those who jeopardize them,” said Tom Mullikin, director of the natural resources department. “Abandoning vessels in sensitive waterways not only violates the law but also puts our ecosystems, wildlife, and communities at risk.”
Officials said abandoned boats have long been a problem in South Carolina.
State DNR said the vessels can result in serious environmental and navigational hazards, and they can be problems for other boaters if the vessel is partially submerged or sinking.
DNR said the abandoned boats can also create pollutants that hurt surrounding salt marsh ecosystems, vital for fish, birds and act as a natural filter to help water quality.
Gov. Henry McMaster signed the legislation — S. 367, filed by Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston — into law in May, giving state DNR a clear process of how to notify and remove abandoned boats. The new law also increases penalties for anyone convicted.
Abandoning a vessel is a misdemeanor.
But, if convicted, the boat owner now can face a fine of no more than $10,000 and up to 60 days in prison, or both. The owner will also be on the hook for costs to remove and dispose of the boat.
