Tracy Dodds, owner of derelict Farley Mowat, arrested
Sentenced to 20 days in jail for defying court orders to remove rusting ship from Shelburne Harbour
The owner of the derelict anti-sealing vessel MV Farley Mowat has been arrested for contempt of court.
Scrap dealer Tracy Dodds, of Wolfville, N.S., will serve 20 days in jail for defying court orders to remove the ship from Shelburne Harbour.
- Arrest warrant sought for Tracy Dodds, owner of derelict MV Farley Mowat
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"I can confirm he was arrested yesterday between 12:30 and 1:00 [p.m.] at a residence in Wolfville," said RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Jennifer Clarke.
Farley Mowat has been languishing next to the wharf in Shelburne since September of 2014.
In May, federal court Justice Anne Mactavish found Dodds in contempt of court for failing to obey three court orders to remove the vessel from the port.
In 20 years of policing I certainly haven't seen anything like this.- Cpl. Jennifer Clarke
She ordered Dodds to serve 20 days in jail, pay a $5,000 penalty to the Town of Shelburne — and a further $5,000 fine.
Those punishments came into effect on May 31, but no action was taken until Wednesday.
If Dodds tows the ship away in the future, he could still apply to have the contempt order vacated.
Jail a rarity
A jail sentence for contempt of court is a rarity in Nova Scotia.
"In 20 years of policing I certainly haven't seen anything like this," said Clarke.
Dylan Heide, the chief administrative officer of Shelburne, previously told CBC News the continued presence of Farley Mowat has forced the town to turn away fishing boats that were willing to pay for the wharf space.
Heide said Dodds owes more than $45,000 in unpaid berthing fees, money which the town will attempt to recover.
The Farley Mowat sank at the wharf in June of 2015.
$815K to raise
The Canadian Coast Guard hired contractors to raise the vessel. It cost approximately $815,000 to refloat Farley Mowat, and to recover and dispose of contamination from fuel and oil on the ship, Fisheries and Oceans Canada spokesman Stephen Bornais said Thursday.
CBC News has found Dodds owns several derelict vessels along Nova Scotia's coastline.
Dodds has so far refused to comment on which vessels he owns, or his plans for the Farley Mowat.