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Although Hawai'i does not have a formal abandoned and derelict vessel program that is permanently funded, the Department of Land and Natural Resources addresses abandoned vessels through a collection of laws. The Department actively identifies and removes abandoned and derelict vessels from harbors, and immediately deals with vessels that become grounded on coral reefs or are grounded and in imminent danger of breaking apart.
Case Studies in the Pacific Islands Region
The state's ADV laws, which are under Hawai'i Revised Statutes § 200, have provisions that deal specifically with abandoned and derelict vessels found on public lands, and govern the designation, impoundment, removal and disposal processes. Vessels abandoned on private property become the responsibility of the private property owner and not of the state.
Hawai'i does not currently have a dedicated funding source for dealing with ADVs, but it has established a boating special fund under Haw. Rev. Stat. § 248-8 that is funded through the assessment of fuel taxes on small boats. Although this fund was not intended to deal with abandoned or derelict vessels, it can be used by the Department of Land and Natural Resources to cover the costs associated with the impoundment and disposal of these vessels. These costs are currently reimbursed to the fund through any proceeds obtained from the sale of abandoned and derelict vessels.
The lead agency for abandoned and derelict vessels in Hawai'i is the Department of Land and Natural Resources under the Board of Land and Natural Resources.