Sunken boats removed from New Orleans harbor

Sunken boats removed from New Orleans harbor

A contractor is fishing for boats that sank to the bottom of a New Orleans yacht harbor after Hurricane Katrina, up to 200 boats may be scattered on the harbor bottom.

"Sonar readings might show one boat, but it could be sitting atop another one or even two," said Bruce Hammatt, a state Department of Environmental Quality administrator overseeing the cleanup that began Wednesday morning.

By noon Wednesday, a huge crane had pulled up a half-dozen boats in a project that could run up to $1 million (EUR730,000).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is paying for 90 percent of the work, with the state picking up the rest.

Hammatt said he is confident the contractor, Resolve Marine Group of Port Everglades, Florida, can finish the job in about a month.