Authorities removed a deteriorating 139-foot-long ship moored unlawfully on state-owned lands near the Empire Boat Ramp in Coos Bay during the first week in August.
The Oregon Dept. of State Lands coordinated the effort to tow the rusting 86-year-old El Conquistador out of the area, with the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Coast Guard.
A private contractor pumped out old fuel, oil and contaminated water before towing the El Conquistador for about 2 hours to Billeter Marine, where it will be further treated, and finally, towed to Reedsport for dismantling.
The process to seize and remove the rotting vessel was a lengthy one.
“It will be a huge relief when it’s gone,” said Coos County Sheriff’s Office Marine Deputy Robert Baker, one day prior to its removal.
Baker said the sheriff’s office had been receiving complaints about the ship and the activity coming to and from it for years.
He was involved in an inspection of the ship in coordination with state and regulatory agencies.
“They deemed that it was in poor shape, and something needed to happen. Since then, I have come out and posted a pre-seizure notice,” Baker said.
The vessel was seized by the Oregon Dept. of State Lands on July 25.
Two males who were reportedly inhabiting the vessel were cooperative with the seizure, according to Baker.
Dept. of State Lands
The Oregon Dept. of State Lands has been monitoring the El Conquistador long before it was illegally moored near the Empire Boat Ramp in 2021.
“The El Conquistador has been on the Department of State Lands radar for about 20 years – since it arrived at the port, the owners began falling behind on payments and it was auctioned off,” said Dorothy Diehl, The Department of State Lands Waterways Stewardship Project Manager.
“There’s been a lot of curiosity and a lot of concern over those years,” Diehl said.
According to records, the El Conquistador first arrived in Coos Bay in 2002 from Crescent City, CA under a Panamanian flag, and owners Phillip Nickel and his wife Lee Keevil defaulted on moorage fees.
Two years later, Reinard Pollman took ownership of the El Conquistador with a bid of $60,000 in a U.S. Marshal’s Service auction.
In 2021, the vessel was moved to a location near the Empire Boat Ramp. The Department of State Lands issued a notice of trespass and subsequent civil penalties.
Funding Resources
“The Department of State Lands had done what it could over those several years to enforce state land rules, but without the funding behind it to actually move forward with seizing the boat, there wasn’t a lot that anybody could do,” Diehl said.
That changed when a bill passed that created the Abandoned and Derelict Vessel Program, she said. It provided close to $19 million in startup funds for projects such as this one.
State officials report significant resources are required to remove vessels from waterways and pay for the costs of salvage, transportation, hazardous materials abatement, dismantling, and disposal.
The Oregon Dept. of State Lands estimates the removal and dismantling of the El Conquistador will cost more than one million dollars.
“It takes a lot of money, a lot of coordination and focused commitment to put it all together to make it happen,” Diehl said.
State Land officials said they were relieved they were able to remove the derelict ship before it got to the point of sinking and leaking a significant amount of pollutants into the bay.
They hired a contractor to process contaminants before towing it. Workers are also filling in potential cracks and holes before towing the El Conquistador through the open ocean to its final destination in Reedsport for dismantling.
An 86-year History
Diehl said she gained a connection with the El Conquistador during her time researching the vessel.
“I’ve learned all about the history of the ship. I’ve become enamored with it to be honest,” she said. “I think that we’re giving it a dignified end, because there is so much history associated with it.”
The vessel was first launched in 1938 in Quebec, Canada. It was the largest arc-welded ship ever built in Canada at the time and was designed with an innovative system of propulsion.
In 1967, the vessel was brought through the Panama Canal and up to Vancouver, British Columbia to tow chemical barges for the Gulf of Georgia Towing Company.
In 2000, the vessel was sold at auction in Vancouver, BC and removed from the Canadian Registry.
The new owners had visions of using the ship for passenger cruises in Venezuela.
They changed its’ name to El Conquistador and made significant alterations, adding more than 50 gross tons of volume in bedrooms, bathrooms, dining space and other accommodations to the vessel.
The grand plans for the ship became derailed. The history of El Conquistador since 2002 has been far less glamorous than previous owners planned.
A Cautionary Tale
Each vessel has a unique history. But the problem with abandoned and illegally moored boats is growing. Abandoned and derelict vessels can seriously threaten the health and safety of Oregon-owned waterways.
Potential problems caused by abandoned and derelict vessels include water contamination, navigation hazards, and damage to public and private property, according to the Oregon Dept. of State Lands.
Ultimately, the owner of the boat is liable for all costs associated with its’ removal.
“I think it’s a cautionary tale for anybody who sees what they think is a discount boat – something that they can go fulfill a dream with. You have to do your research and really understand what’s required to maintain a boat like that, where you can legally moor it, and what qualifications you need to operate it,” Diehl said.
“I don’t want to lecture anybody; I’ve just seen it several times in this line of work. It’s not an impulse buy,” she said.
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