PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor                                 Ch. 342

(e) As soon as reasonably possible but not later than 15 days after the
Department takes an abandoned vessel into custody, the Department shall send a notice,
by certified mail, return receipt requested, bearing a postmark from the United States
Postal Service to the last known registered owner of the vessel and to each secured party,
as shown on the records of the Department.

(d) The notice shall:

(1) Describe the vessel;

(2) Give the location where the vessel is being held;

(3) Inform the owner and secured party of a right to reclaim the vessel
within 3 weeks upon payment to the Department of any expenses incurred during removal
and custody of the vessel; and

(4) State that failure to claim the vessel will constitute:

(i) A waiver of all right, title, and interest in the vessel; and

(ii) A consent to the Department's disposition of the vessel.

(e) If the Department is unable to determine the last registered owner or the
identity of any secured party of the abandoned vessel, or if the certified mail notice
required under subsection (c) of this section is returned as undeliverable, the Department
shall give the required notice by publication in at least 1 newspaper of general circulation
in the area where the abandoned vessel was found. The notice by publication shall
contain the information required under subsection (d) of this section and shall be
published within 30 days of the seizure of the abandoned vessel, or within 15 days of the
return of the certified mail notice as undeliverable.

(f) If the owner or secured party fails to claim the abandoned vessel within 3
weeks after the certified mail notice or after the notice by publication is given, the
Department may sell the vessel at public auction, proceed to receive title to the vessel
pursuant to § 8-722 of this subtitle, or otherwise dispose of the vessel.

(g) If the abandoned vessel is in such a condition of disrepair that the
Department cannot remove the vessel intact, the Department may dispose of the vessel in
whatever manner is reasonable without providing the notice required under subsections
(c) through (e) of this section.

(h) The Department may delegate the Department's authority to remove and
dispose of abandoned vessels under this section to any local jurisdiction.

8-721.1.

(A) THE OWNER OR OPERATOR OF A MARINA OR THE OWNER'S OR
OPERATOR'S AGENT MAY HAVE A VESSEL REMOVED FROM THE MARINA BY A
PRIVATE PERSON IF THE VESSEL HAS REMAINED ON THE MARINA PREMISES
WITHOUT PERMISSION FOR MORE THAN 24 48 HOURS AND THE OWNER, OPERATOR,
OR AGENT HAS PLACED IN CONSPICUOUS LOCATIONS SIGNS THAT:

- 2331 -