Not available for comment.

bingethinker: Not available for comment.

Damn you. Get out of my head.

Why, I once found a whole crate of oranges washed up on this beach.

wow, i wish i had that luck. I sure could use that lumber..

Insured and they are having to pay to clean it up. Means a win-win situation for the shipping company.

less time to pay out for the clean up... At at least $150 an hour..
I would be telling them to take all the lumber you want..

Isn't there some arcane distinction about flotsam and jetsam and the high water line that determines whether you can keep what you find?

Good luck with that.

No it isn't, according to the International Law of the Sea.

I think that several hundred years of maritime law disagree with the constables interpretation.

And in the depression they tried to keep people from collecting coal that fell off the railroad cars too. Jerks.

What it comes down to is they are protecting their interests in case an entire cargo container washes up with salvageable goods inside.

"This cargo remains the property of the original owner."

Then it sounds like the owner should be given a huge fine for littering.

NuttierThanEver: I think that several hundred years of maritime law disagree with the constables interpretation.

Interesting. Details?

From what I heard from people in the area is that they have security guards on site stopping people from scavenging the wood so they can drag it down the beach and mulch it, to stop people using it. Apparently the wood is too contaminated to use but they don't want people to make fences out of it/burn it anyway.

""Having been down to check the scene for myself, I know how poor the weather conditions are and anyone who tries to get near the timber will be putting themselves at risk." "

For their own safety. Yeah, Cause BEACHES are so farking DANGEROUS.

If it's still the owner's property, he should pay a nice fine for polluting or littering. But that's stupid, as is the constable who deemed that the lumber is still property of the shipping company

Oh, I once knew a guy who found on the beach a GODDAMN IT ALL I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER WHOLE FARKING WEEK FOR THE GODDAMN FARKING SUPERBOWL!!!

SHIAT

maidtina: From what I heard from people in the area is that they have security guards on site stopping people from scavenging the wood so they can drag it down the beach and mulch it, to stop people using it. Apparently the wood is too contaminated to use but they don't want people to make fences out of it/burn it anyway.

Contaminated by what? Water cooties? Beach bugs?

I think flotsam is stuff washed overboard or from a foundering ship. Jetsam is the stuff thrown or jettisoned in order to lighten a ship in distress.

Not sure about the law of salvaging what seems to be driftwood.

rssvss: wow, i wish i had that luck. I sure could use that lumber..

Insured and they are having to pay to clean it up. Means a win-win situation for the shipping company.


Partially right, but partially wrong. While the insurance company is paying for the cleanup, they also are the new owners of a crapload of wood that's washing ashore. The shipping company really has nothing to do with it anymore, and won't stand to profit from this point on. The insurance company, however, probably wants to recoup some of the losses for having to payout the owners of the cargo (as well as the cleanup costs).

Flotsam and Jetsam was Jason Newstead's band before joining Metallica. I've never heard a second of their music...

peachpicker: Oh, I once knew a guy who found on the beach a GODDAMN IT ALL I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER WHOLE FARKING WEEK FOR THE GODDAMN FARKING SUPERBOWL!!!

SHIAT

(checks profile)


You'll just be disappointed afterwards.

/Go Cards!!

Anyone remeber that container ship that lost a load of BMW motorcycles? The moto filled containers washed up on shore and people were making off with them. England?

There is an animal called a balm. Or did I dream it.?

Those who go down to the sea in trucks,
that do business in the dark of night,
these see the works of the law
and the wonders in its keep.

40below: No it isn't, according to the International Law of the Sea.

Nope. The insurance company bought themselves a shipwreck and a pile of wood when they paid out on it.

They're likely trying to make their money back somehow.

"Finders keepers" is not the law.

its Gods water man. Doritos from heaven. Finders keepers.

/i could use some lumber to make a box to put my doritos in.
//or a chair to sit in while eating my doritos from the sea
///if only a bong and sack of weed would wash up on shore and id be all set.

That the cargo lost from a ship remains the property of the original owner has been maritime law for centuries. They may abandon the property if they desire, then it's up for grabs by scavengers. Usually, unless the cargo is very valuable, they sell the rights to it to salvaging companies.

BarnacleBill, flotsam the wreckage of a ship (timbers, gear, etc.) Jetsam is that which is jettisoned from a ship or washed overboard.

Unknown_Poltroon: Contaminated by what? Water cooties? Beach bugs?

The crap they pressure-treat lumber with, of which arsenic is among the healthier components. Stuff you really, seriously don't want to set loose into your lungs by burning it, no matter how hard up you are for firewood.

I get why we have salvage laws and such, but this isn't gold ingots from the Spanish Main, it's a small amount of useless wood making a nuisance of itself. Better to force the shipper or the owner to clean it up.

Hah, yeah... good luck with that.

Sounds like the bank asking that money lost off the back of a truck be returned.

Some guy wrecked his boat near my parent's house. It was a 50' wooden hulled hunk of junk he got for something like $100. He was taking it down the coast to drydock and start working on it when the engine crapped out and he had to get the CG to pull him off before it foundered. He sat on the beach watching the waves batter it to bits and then collected all the wood washing up and built a bonfire. It was a beautiful boat, such a shame to lose, and I remember thinking that he was very responsible to pick up all the debris. Most boaters would have just left to go get drunk.

semiotix: The crap they pressure-treat lumber with, of which arsenic is among the healthier components. Stuff you really, seriously don't want to set loose into your lungs by burning it, no matter how hard up you are for firewood.

I get why we have salvage laws and such, but this isn't gold ingots from the Spanish Main, it's a small amount of useless wood making a nuisance of itself. Better to force the shipper or the owner to clean it up.

Okay then, make sure the media warns people it's toxic, and not for firewood. Those who are morons and ignore that are likely to get what they ask for. Otherwise if you find a load of ready made fence posts on the beach... I don't see the problem with snagging a few for your garden project. The company can collect and dispose of what it finds.

Maritime law or not, the unwritten law of the beach: finders keepers.

Dallymo: Isn't there some arcane distinction about flotsam and jetsam

Flotsam is stuff that has fallen off, jetsam is stuff that was jettisoned. So this wood is flotsam.

Then theres derelict (stuff which has been abandoned at sea by those who were in charge without any hope of recovering it) and lagan which is stuff thrown overboard, but with a buoy attached for later recovery.

Apparently you can't just savage it on the beach:
Can you keep ship-wrecked goods? BBC News, 22 January 2007 (new window)

Tell that to Exxon about the Valdez.

Sue them for littering.

Let the wood go, cause, man, it's gone.

TFA:
The Receiver of Wreck has warned that anyone who takes away timber must report it within 28 days.

Failure to do so is a criminal offence, with a fine of up to £2,500.

"This cargo remains the property of the original owner and to steal it is not only foolhardy, but also a criminal offence," said Chief Supt John Molloy.

/PLEASE, tell me this is made up.
//Is "Receiver of Wreck" really a job title? What would his/her resume look like?

If it washes up on my beach it's mine!

/I don't have a beach anymore.
//If it's washes up on my lawn it's mine.

DV1976: TFA:
The Receiver of Wreck has warned that anyone who takes away timber must report it within 28 days.

Failure to do so is a criminal offence, with a fine of up to £2,500.

"This cargo remains the property of the original owner and to steal it is not only foolhardy, but also a criminal offence," said Chief Supt John Molloy.

/PLEASE, tell me this is made up.
//Is "Receiver of Wreck" really a job title? What would his/her resume look like?

The Receiver of Wreck is indeed a real job. It's an appointed government position in the Commonwealth and the United Kingdom. They get reports of wrecks, identify them, and figure out the legal BS.

Dallymo: Isn't there some arcane distinction about flotsam and jetsam and the high water line that determines whether you can keep what you find?

IIRC, jetsam (materials ejected from the sea) that lands above the high tide mark becomes the property of whoever's property it lands on. And flotsam (ejected material floating at sea) is salvage, but I think there are some restrictions on that.

Clearly, the shipping company is putting serious effort into carefully recovering its cargo so it can be stacked, organized, and sold for profit.

40below: No it isn't, according to the International Law of the Sea.

Is it the moon or the sea that's a harsh mistress? I can never remember.

DV1976: /PLEASE, tell me this is made up.
//Is "Receiver of Wreck" really a job title? What would his/her resume look like?

Yep, it's real (new window).

"Any wreck material found within UK territorial waters (to 12 mile limit), or outside the UK and brought within UK territorial waters must by law be reported to the Receiver of Wreck (under s. 236 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995)"

mmagdalene: 40below: No it isn't, according to the International Law of the Sea.

Is it the moon or the sea that's a harsh mistress? I can never remember.

...Gravity.

Great kids' book.

OK, mister receiver of the wreck. How about you PROVE that the wood I loaded into my car came from that boat in particular. Go ahead. Just try to distinguish this piece of wood from any other. I'm waiting.

Salvage is a tricky bunch of law. There are share ownerships on derelicts that typically require forfeiture to claim total ownership. Cargo that is jettisoned can be claimed as forfeit by one salvage crew and not by the original owner, if it's in international waters finders keepers tends to be the rule regardless of law. This cargo would be considered owned by the original owner as it is collectible not salvage.

I did some post Katrina salvage in Mississippi and spent more than I made.

No "Whiskey Galore" reference?

/disappointed

Ahem... this is England we're talking about.

I bet somewhere in the laws anything that washes on the beach is property of the crown, or something similar. Just not enforced.

But I must have that to repair the Minnow!

In that case I'd like to see the owner issued a 50 pound per item fine for littering.

As God as my witness, I thought Doritos could swim.

Bonfire for the Mods and Rockers!!