On March 5 the 28-meter Sunseeker Nakoa was sunk during her third salvage operation. The accident with the charter yacht happened on February 20, when the boat was drifting ashore a protected bay on Maui, Hawaii. The bilge pumps activated, the diesel released into the water. Honolua Bay is a popular diving destination and a part of a state-administered marine life conservation district. To minimize the risk of environmental harm Maui Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. has asked Hawaii Gov. Josh Green to expedite the response effort. The fuel and all pollutants were removed from the vessel.
The salvage operation marked the third attempt to free Nakoa from her resting place in Honolua Bay, a protected marine reserve. The first salvage attempt was hindered due to inclement weather.
On March 5 the salvage ship, Kahi, operated by Visionary Marine LLC and a tractor tug, the Mary Catherine operated by Sause Brothers Inc., both based in Honolulu worked in tandem to rescue the yacht.
The yacht was listing to one side and riding bow high and it’s unknown at this time whether it was successfully pulled all the way to Honolulu or had to be scuttled in 1,000-foot-deep water offshore.
DLNR Chair Dawn Chang credited the salvage and tug companies for sticking with the complex job and thanked the community and those who cherish Honolua Bay for their patience and understanding. She said the state will aggressively pursue recouping all salvage costs from the owner, in addition to the cost to repair damage to coral reefs and live rock. A team from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources will return to the grounding location this week to conduct a post-incident damage assessment.
Credits: Daniel Dennison (State of Hawaii)/all courtesy of DLNR