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Yacht grounding and salvage caused considerable reef damage

A post-grounding damage assessment of the grounding site of the 'Nakoa' before she was pulled out by the 'Mary Catherine, conducted by divers from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), found that the yacht caused damage to corals and reef live rock covering at least 19,434-square-feet. The four-person DAR team conducted a preliminary damage investigation the day after the vessel grounded just outside the Honolua-Mokulē’ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District on Maui’s northwestern coast. The assessment team was looking for two things. The initial impact when the vessel grounded, and then the scars that occurred as the yacht was dragged back off the flat reef surface into deeper water by the 'Mary Catherine'. The preliminary assessment showed nineteen coral colonies were damaged or destroyed during the initial grounding. For nearly two weeks, the 'Nakoa' remained grounded in extremely shallow water along the basalt boulder shoreline in a high wave environment. Highly visible, parallel scars extended 246 feet into deeper water. The first 49 feet consisted of two deep trench-like scars, about 16 feet apart. 101 coral colonies were impacted, and there was damage to live rock covering nearly 2,099 square feet. The DLNR is not holding the salvage company or the 'Mary Catherine', that pulled the boat off the reef, responsible for any damage but has made it clear that the yacht’s owner will be responsible for salvage costs, as well as for damage to live rock and coral. Following the DAR assessment, a team from the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute collected more than 100 fragments of damaged coral and plans to recover additional fragments soon. The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute agreed to collaborate to repair and restore the damage at the site as quickly as possible. It is operating under a DLNR-issued Special Activity Permit, which allows it to respond rapidly in collaboration with DAR staff on coral damage incidents such as this grounding. In this case, they identified a few colonies of dislodged coral that will be re-attached as soon as ocean conditions have improved. Coral fragments collected this week will be grown out at the marine institute lab for future coral restoration projects, as appropriate. A final report on live rock/coral damage will be presented to the Board of Land and Natural Resources, along with DAR’s recommended fines and penalties for the damage.

No plans to raise lost yacht

Saying that removal would be costly and impacts from the fuel-drained boat should be minimal state officials said there were no plans at this time to raise the luxury yacht 'Nakoa' that sank in the afternoon of MArch 5 in West Maui three miles off the coast while being under tow of the 'Mary Catherine'. The cost to pull the 120-ton yacht up would be extremely expensive and complicated in the view of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The state has already shelled out at least $460,000 for the salvage work and plans to “aggressively pursue recouping all salvage costs from the owner.” Report with photo: https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2023/03/sunken-yacht-to-be-left-on-seafloor-for-now/

Tug freed yacht which was then scuttled

The yacht 'Nakoa' was scuttled in 800 feet of water after it was freed by the 'Mary Catherine' from the rocky shoreline near Honolua where it had been grounded for nearly two weeks. It had taken on water, was listing starboard and riding bow high after being pulled free by the tug in the early afternoon of March 5 jointly with the salvage ship 'Kahi'. A crew from the salvage ship rigged lines to the yacht Nakoa all day on March 4 and the next morning to prepare for the third salvage attempt. Prior to the 3,300-horsepower tug hooking up, the salvage crew used a carbon cutter to free either the yacht’s prop or rudder, believed to be the reason earlier attempts did not succeed. There were ideal weather and ocean conditions for the complex and costly operation. Once the tug turned the boat 90 degrees, it pulled out into deeper water. Reports with videos: https://mauinow.com/2023/03/05/third-attempt-to-free-grounded-yacht-at-honolua-bay-planned/ https://beachgrit.com/2023/03/super-yacht-that-ran-aground-on-reef-at-the-ultimate-wave-the-best-wave-in-the-world-finally-freed-after-leaking-diesel-into-pristine-waters-for-two-weeks-every-time-haole/ https://bigislandnow.com/2023/03/05/luxury-yacht-finally-freed-from-maui-near-shore-reef-only-to-sink-in-800-feet-of-water/