Abandoned and sinking: Vessel turns hazardous for boaters
CLAY COUNTY, Miss (WCBI) – Some riverfront residents in Clay County are floating concerns and complaints about a partially submerged vessel blocking access to the Tombigbee.
The disabled watercraft has been left abandoned since December 2023, and people living near Humpheries Cove say it poses a danger to them and to others boating up and down the river.
People who live along the banks of the Tombigbee River are growing frustrated and that’s because the owner of a ship just abandoned his vessel in their backyard.
“I’d like for him to move it and not park his trash in our neighborhood,” said Dennis McGee, a homeowner in the Humphries Cove community of Clay County.
He said despite calls to the United States Army Corps of Engineers and United States Coast Guard, the several-ton safety hazard continues to sink to the bottom of the Tombigbee River.
“We’ve had our neighborhood members come in and almost get washed into it when somebody meets somebody there or at night it’s very very dark and you can hardly see it. We actually had one of our residents here actually hit it with a boat being pulled in a disabled boat,” said McGee.
McGee said the danger is just around the dock.
“I could see somebody actually getting hurt. Alcohol is involved on the river a lot during the summer and it actually impairs people’s ability to drive their boat. And if you have someone slam into it at a high rate of speed or an inter-tube or ski and get slung into it then you’re going to have someone lose their life,” said McGee.
Connie Jones also lives on the river.
“It’s scary to think that anybody that has something they want to get rid of can just pull it up here, park it, and leave it. So what does that leave? Nothing but a trash bag for the community,” said Jones.
We’ll keep you updated if any action takes place to resolve the issue. Neighbors said they have contacted the owner of the vessel, but there is no word on when or if he plans to remove his property from the area.
