EVERETT, WA — A long-neglected vessel docked in Everett [SnoPac Location] may soon become the first legal test of the city’s new watershed rights law [Everett Municipal Code Ch. 20-12] —passed to protect the Snohomish River from environmental harm. Concerned citizens, alongside the nonprofit Standing for Washington, are keeping a close eye on the vessel, determined to defend the Snohomish river if danger arises.

The Snopac, a 178-foot former fishing processor, has been sitting at Deep Sea Fishers’ private dock for over a decade and way behind on paying moorage fees. Its owner, Felix Vera, acquired the vessel for just $1 in 2012 following a private equity buyout of Snopac Products by Icicle Seafoods, then owned by Paine & Partners. The boat was offloaded to one of Vera’s shell companies and has remained untouched and unpaid for ever since—despite state law [RCW 79.100.150] that can hold previous owners liable if proper transfer protocols weren’t followed and the vessel becomes derelict.

Now renamed Pacific Express, the vessel is still marked with the Snopac name—and with its deteriorating condition, the risks are mounting.

Felix Vera is no stranger to controversy. In 2021, one of his vessels [US District Court Case 2023cv01677]—the American Challenger —was being towed from Puget Sound to Mexico when it broke loose off the California coast, ran aground, and triggered a $14 million environmental disaster [Press Democrat 3/15/2021]. Taxpayers covered the cleanup after a judge let Vera off the hook [Ruling on American Challenger Wreck]. Now, with the Snopac still sitting in Everett, many fear he’s preparing to try the same risky move again.

Even when left idle, a large vessel can become a serious environmental hazard. Over more than a decade without maintenance, ships sitting in the water begin to structurally deteriorate—risking leaks, flooding, breaking apart, or sinking altogether. When that happens, pollutants like fuel, oil, toxic hull paint, battery chemicals, and debris can leach into the river, contaminating the water, harming wildlife, damaging ecosystems, obstructing navigation routes, and disrupting recreational use.

“If this vessel leaks, sinks, or moves and puts our river at risk, the people of Everett won’t have to wait on someone else to act—we have the right to protect our own waters,” said a spokesperson for Standing for Washington. “This time, the river has rights—and so do we. And we’re ready to stand up for it.” Because Washington’s state derelict vessel program doesn’t cover boats on private moorage, marina operators like Deep Sea Fishers are left with no recourse but auction—an option unlikely to recoup years of lost fees or potential liability.

Here’s how it happens: a private equity firm buys a seafood company and offloads large, outdated vessels full of hazardous materials. Instead of proper dismantling—which is costly—they sell one for $1 to someone who can’t manage it. The ship then deteriorates in our waters or is moved like the American Challenger, trying to get to Mexico where there isn’t the same environmental oversight- causing immense damage in a marine sanctuary, and a costly cleanup for us to pay — a clear sign that the system has failed to prevent this.

“For too long, we had to rely on governments and a system that fails to protect our rivers. But with this new law passed by initiative of the people of Everett granting rights to the Snohomish Watershed, the power has shifted. Now, we all have a voice and a role to play in defending our river—and protecting the waters that make the Pacific Northwest home.”

The Snopac stays in Everett for now—but thanks to the river’s new rights, it now faces scrutiny from the community like never before.