law: Indian Ports Act, 1908
  14. Raising or removal or wreck impeding navigation within
  
  limits of port 
  (1) If any vessel is wreck stranded or sunk in any such port so
  
  as to impede, or be likely to impede, the navigation thereof, the conservator
  
  may cause the vessel to be raised, removed or destroyed.
  (2) If any property recovered by a conservator acting under
  
  sub-section (1) is unclaimed or the person claiming it fails to pay the
  
  reasonable expenses incurred by the conservator under that sub-section and a
  
  further sum of twenty per cent. of the amount of such expenses, the conservator
  
  may sell the property by public auction, if the property is of a perishable
  
  nature, forthwith, and, if it is not of a perishable nature, at any time not
  
  less than 24[two months] after the recovery thereof.
  (3) The expenses and further sum aforesaid shall be payable to
  
  the conservator out of the sale proceeds of the property, and the balance shall
  
  be paid to the person entitled to the property recovered or if no such person
  
  appears and claims the balance, shall be held in deposit for payment, without
  
  interest, to any person thereafter establishing his right thereto:
  Provided  that the person makes his claim within three
  
  years from the date of the sale.
   25  [(4) Where the sale proceeds of the property are not
  
  sufficient to meet the expenses and further sum aforesaid, the owner of the
  
  vessel at the time the vessel was wrecked, stranded or sunk shall be liable to
  
  pay the deficiency to the conservator on demand, and if the deficiency be not
  
  paid within
  One month of such demand the conservator may recover the
  
  deficiency from such owner in the manner laid down in sub-section (2) of section
  
  57 for recovery of expenses and damages or in any other manner according as the
  
  deficiency does not or does exceed one thousand rupees.]