#dobor

The state already has spent $1 million to dredge the incoming channel, and now it is spending another $2.2 million to pave the access road, redo the parking lot, renovate the bathroom, add signs and put in a leach field.

Owners of a grounded vessel are hoping to get the boat removed from the Kīhei shoreline today. The vessel, Na Nahiku, ran aground on the shore fronting 131 S. Kīhei Road fronting the Kīhei Youth Center on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026.

The community is invited to a Feb. 4 meeting to provide input on a proposed improvement project for Māla Boat Ramp on Maui’s west side.

Today marks the start of a long-awaited bathroom and wastewater system construction project at Kahului Small Boat Harbor on Maui.

Starting Dec. 15, loading and unloading activities will be allowed on a permitted basis. Some companies haven’t been operating since the fire damaged their vessel.

Dredging of Pohoiki boat ramp has been underway for the past two weeks, as crews work to remove 42,000 cubic yards of black sand, rocks and boulders, deposited by the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea.

At this time, no new CUPs will be issued, pursuant to the court’s order in Nā Papaʻi Wawae ʻUlaʻula, et al. v. DLNR, Case No. 2CC-17-1-000483. Existing permits in good standing will continue to be renewed and at this time, permittees will only be allowed to maintain current activity and/or passenger capacity levels, or reduce existing levels.  DOBOR will continue to allow vessel substitutions, but will not authorize increases in passenger capacity levels, regardless of vessel size.

Crews with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources finished clearing the public parking areas of Kahului Boat Harbor by removing more than five dozen vehicles, many of them abandoned. Last week, efforts to cleanup the harbor got underway with the removal of debris.

Fifty-four trucks and cars, many inoperable, will be towed from the state’s Kahului Harbor on May 6, state officials announced. A team from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, and officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement placed notices on each of the vehicles on Monday. The notices warn owners that their car or truck is parked illegally in a state boating facility, which is a violation of one or more laws under Hawai‘i Administrative Rules. During yesterday’s posting, 27 people were also advised that the state and a contractor would be cleaning up the harbor on May 2 and 3.

The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation fuel system vendor for Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, is in the process of rebuilding the fire-damaged, above-ground portion of the fueling system at no cost to the state. It will probably three years before everything is finished. Until the harbor is out of the restricted zone, no one can reach it by land.

Commercial operators, with permits, will again be able to use Māla Wharf seven days a week beginning Saturday April 13.

At the start of 2024, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources implemented an Ocean Stewardship Fee Program to help fund projects to protect marine resources. The Aloha I Ke Kai program collects a one dollar fee from passengers and customers that board boats with commercial use permits.

A series of powerful storms in 2023 and the first part of 2024 contributed to a higher than usual number of boat groundings in Maui, according to state officials. Today, DOBOR awarded a $841,820 contract to Sea Engineering, Inc., to salvage the former Navy torpedo boat, Chaparral. It currently rests in sand, next to a seawall in North Kīhei.

The Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources will be asked to approve a new chapter in Hawai‘i Administrative Rules to enable an ocean stewardship user fee during its meeting on Friday. BLNR will also consider amendments to the Molokini Shoal Marine Life Conservation District to reduce crowding at the islet.

The 46-foot Ka Imi Kai commercial fishing sailboat broke loose from its anchor or mooring in Māʻalaea Bay and grounded on Sugar Beach in Kīhei.

The state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation plans to introduce legislation again in 2024 to try and address the issue of fairness when issuing permits for surf instruction companies to operate at the popular Kahaluʻu Bay surf spot on Hawaiʻi Island. This comes after a recent lottery, in which with three out of the four companies selected are owned by the same person.

The Unified Command operation has begun to remove burned and sunken vessels, and marine debris, from Lahaina Harbor and the surrounding waterways.

More than 450 people attended a virtual community meeting on Tuesday to get updates on the status of West Maui’s commercial and recreational vessel activities.

“We recognize that even before the Lahaina fire there were conflicts between commercial vessel operations, especially at Māla Wharf, and community recreational users. For this reason, we are encouraging fishers, commercial vessel operators, and interested community members to attend this informational meeting so everyone can share and hear respective interests and concerns at the same time before decisions are made,” said Chang.

Before the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor and surrounding waterways can reopen, much work needs to be done including the removal of burned vessels.