A 72-foot pirate-themed party boat that was illegally moored in the Ala Wai boat harbor in Hawaii has been crushed and dumped in the Waiʻanae landfill after being impounded by the state. The boat, once a salmon fishing vessel, was converted into a themed party boat in its final years. It is the latest in a list of an estimated 375 abandoned, grounded, or sunken vessels in Hawaiian waters since 2002. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) aims to recover the costs from the legal owners, but the audit found that such recovery has been limited, meaning taxpayers may end up covering the costs. Since 2020, DLNR has spent over $1.3 million to impound, haul out, and destroy abandoned boats in public harbors, with an estimated $2.2 million spent between 2002 and 2019 for similar efforts. Despite these costs, the state has struggled to recoup expenses from boat owners, with the audit stating that cost recovery has been “almost non-existent.” In response, the DLNR is considering hiring a collections company to recover expenses, though this process requires collaboration with the Department of the Attorney General, which no longer has the capacity to assist with such efforts. Other states, like Washington and Florida, have implemented voluntary programs that allow boat owners to surrender aging vessels before they become a problem. These initiatives help reduce taxpayer costs and prevent environmental damage from leaking fuel and chemicals. In contrast, Hawaii continues to face challenges in managing derelict vessels, especially after incidents like the diesel fuel leak from the Treasure Seeker, which led to a federal cleanup. The boat was eventually towed and removed, but the full cost of the operation remains unknown. The Treasure Seeker was owned by Demetrius “DJ” Smith, who claimed he was on the verge of scrapping the boat himself when a man named Delano Wilson expressed interest in buying it. Smith said he transferred the bill of sale to Wilson for $1 before the spill. However, Wilson never filed the ownership paperwork with the boating division, making it difficult for DLNR to pursue legal action. The lack of clear ownership records and limited enforcement has made cost recovery an “honor system,” with the state often bearing the full financial burden of removing abandoned boats.