Environmentalists are raising concerns that a decommissioned ferry moored in B.C.’s Howe Sound isn’t properly secured and could be a hazard to the surrounding area.

The Queen of Saanich arrived at Anvil Island in December, and Scott Henshaw of the Future of Howe Sound Society says he was shocked and saddened the first time he saw it. The ship is held in place by two-inch-thick ropes, which Henshaw believes are corroding in the salt water and aren’t strong enough to hold a vessel of this size.

"Someone clearly has tried to park it in a place where they didn't think anyone was going to see it, stripped what they want out of it and it looks like it has been abandoned,” he told CTV News.

In an inspection report done in March, Blue Marine Surveyors concluded that, “The current moorings ... are inadequate for a vessel of her size.” The report goes on to point out that the mooring lines are in “very poor condition” and all anchors have been removed.

The inspectors also noted “holes punched/ripped through the side shell plating” and “bending & buckling of the steel side shell plate.”

Owner BMH Salvage has been trying to find a buyer for the ship, but BC Ferries says that it is “disappointing to see” one of its former vessels in such rough shape. However, once ferries are sold, they become the responsibility of their new owners.

The ferry corporation prefers decommissioned vessels to be used safely after they are sold, like the Queen of Vancouver, which provides accommodation at the wood fibre plant near Squamish. If vessels are to be scrapped, BC Ferries asks buyers to have the work done at a ship-breaker dock.

The issue of derelict ships made the news last month when the province declared an environmental emergency after rising water on the Fraser River put another decommissioned ferry, the Queen of Sidney, and six more abandoned boats in danger of breaking free of their moorings.

The federal government says that it is aware of the problem of derelict vessels and is compiling an inventory and inspection report of all such boats.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Peter Grainger