{
  "id": 9629668,
  "title": "Ala Wai ‘Pirate Ship’ Is Pau But Public Is Stuck With The Bill",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/ala-wai-pirate-ship-is-pau-but-public-is-stuck-with-the-bill",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-24T21:02:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/greenpage/2026/09/24/ala-wai-pirate-ship-is-pau-but-public-is-stuck-with-the-bill"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A 72-foot ship anchored illegally in the Ala Wai boat harbor has been demolished and discarded in the Waiʻanae landfill following its seizure by state authorities last month at the expense of taxpayers. The former salmon boat, transformed into a pirate-themed party vessel in its final years, joins an estimated 375 other wrecks and ghost ships that have been grounded, sunk, or abandoned in state waters since 2002. The Department of Land and Natural Resources aims to recoup costs from the legal owners, but it is more probable that the eventual bill for scrapping the vessel will be absorbed by taxpayers or other boat owners. Since 2020, DLNR has invested $1.3 million in impounding, removing, and destroying boats abandoned at public boat harbors, with an estimated $2.2 million spent on 91 vessels between 2002 and 2019. A state audit from February revealed that DLNR has a weak record of recovering such expenses and lacks any understanding of the financial impact on the special fund. With seven severe weather events this year, DLNR Administrator Meghan Statts has directed the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation to prioritize public safety. In response to the audit, Statts is exploring the option of hiring a collections agency to recover expenses, a process that would involve collaboration with the Department of the Attorney General. The Attorney General's office has indicated it lacks the capacity to assist with collections. Other states, such as Washington and Florida, have established schemes allowing boat owners to voluntarily surrender vessels nearing the end of their lives, thereby saving taxpayer money and minimizing toxic solvents, oils, and fuel from entering waterways and marine ecosystems. The near-derelict Treasure Seeker initially gained attention in May 2024 due to a diesel fuel leak, causing a pink film on the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor's surface. The U.S. Coast Guard classified the spill as a federal cleanup, deploying environmental specialists from Pacific Environmental Corporation to contain the fuel using 23 sorbent pads. There were no reports of wildlife or environmental damage. Since then, the vessel was anchored to a street sign near the Prince Waikīki Hotel, where homeless individuals have been living. After being deemed a navigational hazard, state contractor Henry Marine Services towed the ship away on August 27. The final cost of this operation remains unknown, but previous cases of abandoned boats have shown that expenses can quickly escalate. The typical grounded vessel incurs costs ranging from $12,000 to $50,000, according to Bruce Swartz, the boating division's district manager. The Chapparal, a converted military vessel that ran aground near Kīhei in January 2024, incurred a salvage cost of $842,000 for the boating division, and the boat owner, Justin Moore, never reimbursed the state. Another vessel, The Princess Moana, sank in the Ala Wai boat harbor in 2022 and was salvaged in the summer of 2025 at a cost exceeding $350,000 to the boating division. These incidents are intended to be recorded in a register of grounded and sunken vessels, but the spreadsheet does not include the amounts owed by boat owners or whether any repayment has been made. The February audit described the collection process as lacking.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}