San Diego-based Marine & Vessel Storage Company is Preparing to Revolutionize Fiberglass Boat Recycling in California
Vista, CA, October 28, 2014 (Newswire.com) - San Diego Bay Marine Inc. is currently in negotiations with the San Diego Port Authority to bring their cutting edge technology to California. Tim Hirneisen, President and spokesman for San Diego Bay Marine, plans to revolutionize California’s maritime industry by providing a green alternative to salvaging unwanted vessels. Hirneisen envisions a Win-Win scenario—the California coastline will benefit from the decreased pollution from abandoned fiberglass ships and boats as his program gains popularity in the coastal communities. His salvage efforts will include recycling the unwanted fiberglass by re-introducing it as an alternative to standard fiberglass.
Hirneisen has seen the waters in and around San Diego Harbor and Mission Bay become dumping grounds for unwanted fiberglass vessels, many of them moored in high profile tourist destinations. Derelict boats can contain a host of toxic pollutants, and as the boats deteriorate and become submerged, these substances enter the bays, inlets, and ocean. Oil, gas, and sewage from the boats can spread through the water, endangering wildlife and humans who come into contact with these substances. Decaying bottom paint, batteries, and cleaning fluid can leach heavy metals such as chromium, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc into the water. These toxins contaminate and leach into the sediment along the coast and in the bays, where sediment-dwelling organisms ingest them, and then the toxins contaminate the food supply of all the ocean wildlife. Sunken and partially submerged boats also pose a serious safety hazard to captains attempting to navigate California's waterways.
A lack of funding is often identified as the biggest obstacle to effectively removing abandoned vessels, since hauling out submerged objects is costly and difficult. Removing an abandoned vessel from the water costs about $200 per foot, which means that removing one small houseboat can cost upwards of $5,000. This puts the cost of ridding the San Diego of abandoned vessels and debris in the millions of dollars
“The first step after salvage is grinding the glass,” Hirneisen said, “then reconstituting the particles in a resin spray that can be reapplied.” Hirneisen stated his “ultra” second generation fiberglass will possesses superior strength and can be sold at a fraction of the cost. San Diego Bay Marine is prepared to begin recycling operations January 2015.
Contact info:
Tim Hirneisen, President: 619.202.4841
Address: 4403 Piute , San Diego, CA 92117