Salvage work continues for grounded yacht at Honolua Bay; owner faces hefty fines

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Crews are still working to remove a grounded vessel off Maui.

It’s been nearly a week since a luxury yacht ran aground at Honolua Bay, damaging one of the most treasured surfing spots on Maui.

According to state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the yacht’s owner is unable to pay for the removal of the vessel but the state will bill the owner $460,000 and take legal action if needed.

Crews made some progress in moving the vessel off the rocks and the reef over the weekend. But as of Monday morning, it’s still stuck.

After successfully defueling on Saturday, a salvage ship came in and tried pulling the 94-foot, 120-ton yacht named Nakoa from the rocky shoreline.

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The land department said crews pulled the yacht more than a dozen times during high tide and got it to move around 10 to 20 feet.

But, they said it still needs to move another 20 to 30 feet before it’s in the open ocean.

The owner told Hawaii News Now last week, the mooring line broke as he was about to leave and that he wasn’t being negligent.

The yacht leaked some fuel into the water and damaged the coral below but the full extent of the environmental impact is unclear at this time.

The dirt road at Lipoa Point will remain closed during the salvage operations.

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