Christopher Morrison, 51, owner of the Minesweeper, which sank in Wiscasset Harbor in January 2018, has been held responsible for the single charge of littering for his failure to raise and remove the vessel. Sentencing is July 23.

Under state law, although the littering charge is a civil matter, the state can levy a fine three times the cost to the town or the state to raise and remove the vessel, as well as any legal or other costs incurred.

In February, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Gerety asked for a continuance to explore the possibility that Maine Warden Service’s Landowner Relations Program, which promotes public access to Maine’s lands and waters, would help in removing the vessel. Corporal Dave Chalbot of the Maine Warden Service had been in discussion with Morrison and Gerety since October, and planned to work with the Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Environmental Protection to see if the agencies could act to remove the ship. Chalbot was unavailable for comment.

If the state agencies act to remove the vessel, the court’s responsibility finding in June would let the state seek damages from Morrison in court; however, in February, Morrison stated he did not have the financial ability to remove the vessel, and that it was uninsured. Gerety also wrote that Morrison had stated he would be unable to pay the cost to remove the Minesweeper from the harbor.

Gerety said in an email Tuesday that he had no further information on any plans by state agencies to raise the vessel.