A Vancouver Island M-P has tabled a private member’s bill aimed at closing a loophole she says still exists in dealing with abandoned vessels. A new federal program was announced last month to address the problem but New Democrat Sheila Malcolmson says it appears municipal and provincial governments will still largely be left dealing with hundreds of abandoned vessels. Malcolmson says her bill is modelled on legislation in Washington state, which has an advanced registration system to help track down owners of abandoned vessels to make them responsible for cleanup costs. She campaigned today in Nova Scotia in support of the bill, which would also make the coast guard responsible for directing the removal of all abandoned vessels.