Roads and Maritime Services has started the process of appointing a contractor to remove a timber boat which sank in the Shoalhaven River in early February after the owner failed to comply with clean up notices.

The Christine J, previously used to conduct cruises on the Shoalhaven River, was noticed listing badly on February 7, just east of the Nowra bridges and eventually sank, resting on the bottom of the river in about  2.5 to 3 metres of water.

In June RMS said had been working with the vessel owner who had been assembling equipment to recover the vessel.

A RMS spokesperson said the process of appointing a contractor to remove the vessel had now started after the owner failed to comply with clean up notices.

“Once the vessel has been removed, Roads and Maritime will seek to recover costs from the owner,” the spokesperson said.

The boat had also sunk in early January but was refloated before this latest incident.