JOHNS ISLAND — South Carolina Department of Natural Resources agents arrested the owner of a derelict decommissioned Navy vessel that’s been stuck in a Johns Island creek for nearly four years.
The state’s environmental agency arrested Mohamad Haisam Kodaimati on July 22, Charleston County jail records show. Kodaimati was arrested and charged with two counts of abandoning a watercraft. The charges carry fines totaling $43,400.
His bail is set at $20,000.
“This arrest underscores our commitment to protecting South Carolina’s natural resources and holding accountable those who jeopardize them,” said Tom Mullikin, director of SCDNR. “Abandoning vessels in sensitive waterways not only violates the law but also puts our ecosystems, wildlife, and communities at risk.”
The investigation is ongoing, according to SCDNR.
Kodaimati’s vessel, called HAZAR, has been in Bohicket Creek since 2021. He purchased the 120-foot decommissioned torpedo retriever at auction in 2020 for roughly $86,000.
The Coast Guard issued the owner a Captain of the Port order in 2021 for improper documentation. The order prohibited Kodaimati from operating the ship.
Last September, Coast Guard crews removed nearly 3,500 gallons of oil and oily water from the 200-ton vessel.
The arrest marks one of the first under the state’s new laws regarding abandoned and derelict vessels, Cheyenne Twilley, a spokesperson for SCDNR, said.
In May, state legislators voted to enact higher fines and more jail time, up to 60 days, for individuals who abandon their boats, as well as decrease the time it takes for SCDNR to deem the watercraft abandoned or derelict.
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