Receiver of Wreck - What Is Wreck?

What Is Wreck?

The Receiver of Wreck's remit is set down in the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, Part IX, Chapters 1-2. It covers wreck from UK territorial waters (within 12 nautical miles), and wreck landed in the UK from outside UK territorial waters. Wreck material includes any part of a vessel, aircraft or hovercraft including any of its cargo or equipment.

According to the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, wreck can include:

• Flotsam are goods lost from a ship which has sunk or otherwise perished which are recoverable because they have floated.
• Jetsam are goods cast overboard (jettisoned) in order to lighten a vessel which is in danger of sinking, even if they ultimately perish.
• Derelict is property which has been abandoned and deserted at sea by those who were in charge without any hope of recovering it. This includes vessels and cargo.
• Lagan (or ligan) are goods cast overboard from a ship, buoyed so that they can be recovered later.

Boats that have come off their moorings are not normally classified as wreck as they have not been abandoned without hope of recovery. Also, buoys including marker buoys, mooring buoys etc., other than those that are fishing equipment, are not normally classed as wreck.