The Department of Land and Natural Resources said Tuesday it has hired a contractor to remove a 55-foot ketch, Kikimo, which ran aground April 1 in a secluded area on the reef at Moloaa Bay on Kauai.
DLNR boating division staff were able to remove hazardous materials from the vessel. Division of Aquatic Resources staff is assessing any damage to the reef.
Marine salvage contractor Sea Engineering assessed the situation at Moloaa on Saturday. The plan was to pull it off the reef and tow it to safe harbor. However, after inspection, boating officials were concerned the vessel might break up just makai of the reef, causing additional damage, and spreading debris along the shoreline and reef.
The contractor will instead dismantle the boat into pieces for removal by helicopter and disposal. Work with the helicopter should start on Wednesday. The cost of the removal is estimated at $185,600.
The mooring permit of the last known registered owner, Paul Wild, expired Jan. 31, 2015. The vessel was then illegally moored at the Keehi Small Boat Harbor on Oahu and in mid-March. It later experienced difficulties with the new rigging, and the motor, which eventually ran out of fuel. The vessel was able to sail to a few miles east of Hale O Lono harbor on Molokai, where it was anchored and left unattended for a few days. When the owner returned to the anchor site with fuel, it had apparently broken free or dragged its anchor. It’s believed the vessel drifted for about a week toward Kauai until it ran aground.
Since 2002, the state department has paid more than$1.3 million from the boating special fund (derived from boater user fees and permits, etc.) to remove grounded, abandoned and derelict boats from Hawaii’s nearshore waters. DLNR encourages all boaters to insure their vessels to protect marine resources and themselves. If a balance is owed to the department, the responsible party may not register a vessel in the state and may not apply for a mooring permit in a DLNR facility.
If a boater observes a drifting vessel offshore but cannot recover it, DLNR recommends the individual sighting the vessel call the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu at 842-2600 and report the last approximate location or GPS point. This allows the USCG to put out a notice to mariners to identify and provide the vicinity of a possible hazard to navigation.