HI SCR218

Requests the Department of the Attorney General to investigate the February 20, 2023 grounding of the yacht "Nakoa" at Honolua Bay and pursue all applicable civil and criminal charges against the vessel's owner and operators Jim Jones and Noelani Yacht Charters, LLC.

The 94-foot luxury yacht was attached overnight to a day-use-only mooring with a two-hour time limit, and ran aground on a reef approximately 700 feet outside the Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District when the mooring line snapped.

Fuel leaked from the vessel into the ocean on February 21, 2023, triggering a cleanup response that included deployment of containment booms, absorbent materials, and pumping of diesel fuel into 55-gallon drums for safe disposal.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources arranged removal of the Nakoa at a cost of approximately $460,000, not including administrative and staffing costs, with personnel from multiple agencies assisting in response and cleanup efforts.

Directs certified copies of the resolution to be transmitted to the Attorney General, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Chairperson of the Maui County Council, and President of the Save Honolua Coalition.