{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wye-navigation-order-2002/article-10",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wye-navigation-order-2002/article-10.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2002/1998",
  "legislation_title": "The Wye Navigation Order 2002",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wye-navigation-order-2002",
  "path": "article/10",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "10",
  "heading": "Removal of vessels",
  "text": "(1) Whenever any vessel is sunk, stranded or abandoned in the principal rivers, or without lawful authority left or moored in the principal rivers, the Agency may, after giving (except in an emergency) not less than 21 days' notice to the owner of the vessel, unless it is not practicable after reasonable inquiry to ascertain the name and address of the owner, raise and remove the vessel.\n(2) Any notice given by the Agency under paragraph (1) shall—\n(a) identify the vessel in respect of which the notice is served and its approximate location;\n(b) state that if the owner fails to raise and remove the vessel before the expiry of the period specified in the notice, the Agency may raise and remove the vessel and recover all expenses reasonably incurred in so doing; and\n(c) indicate that there is a right of appeal under article 11.\n(3) The Agency may recover from the owner of any such vessel all expenses reasonably incurred by the Agency in respect of the raising, removal and storage of the vessel or in raising, removing or storing any furniture, tackle and apparel of the vessel or any goods, chattels and effects raised or removed from the vessel.\n(4) In any proceedings by the Agency against a person served with a notice under paragraph (1) for the recovery of any expenses which the Agency is entitled to recover from that person under paragraph (3), it shall not be open to that person to raise any question which could have been raised on an appeal under article 11.\n(5) Subject to paragraph (6), if any vessel to which paragraph (1) applies is not, within 6 weeks of its removal by the Agency, proved to the Agency’s satisfaction to belong to any claimant, the vessel (together with any such furniture, tackle and apparel) shall vest in the Agency.\n(6) If within 12 months of its removal a claim is made to a vessel by a person who subsequently proves to the satisfaction of the Agency that he was the owner of the vessel, or has become the owner since the vessel was sunk, stranded, abandoned, left or moored as mentioned in paragraph (1), then the Agency shall—\n(a) if the vessel is unsold, permit that person to retake it with any furniture, tackle, apparel, goods, chattels and effects on the vessel upon payment of the expenses referred to in paragraph (3); or\n(b) if the vessel and the furniture, tackle and apparel on the vessel have been sold, pay to that person the amount of the proceeds of such sale after deducting the said expenses, and in case those proceeds are insufficient to reimburse the Agency those expenses, the deficiency may be recovered from that person by the Agency.\n(7) In this article—\n(a) “owner” in relation to any vessel sunk, stranded, abandoned, left or moored as mentioned in paragraph (1) means the owner of the vessel at the time of its sinking, stranding, abandonment, leaving or mooring; and\n(b) “vessel” includes any part of the vessel.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/1998/article/10",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T06:51:27.293996+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}