LAHAINA, Hawaii (KHON2) -- Nearly a year after the Lahaina wildfires swept across West Maui, the Department of Land and Natural Resources has reached a major milestone by reopening the fuel dock of the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor.
The reopening of the fuel dock "will allow commercial vessel operators to refuel on Maui's west side for the first time" since the wildfires.
On Monday, DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation Administrator Meghan Statts was joined by PAC West Fuel President Gary Strutz to hold a news conference and blessing.
The reopening is welcome news for area boaters, as the DLNR said more than 87 boats were destroyed in the fires.
"A lot of the boaters have moved on to Maalaea side, we have boaters from Kaanapali. It opens up not just for commercial boaters but recreational boaters on West Maui who are in dire need of fuel to go out to do their fishing, to go to the other islands, to Lanai and Molokai to take care of family for hospital visits. That's a lot of what we heard, we need to be able to get them access so they can get to our kupuna and take care of them," explained Statts.
Crews installed new state-of-the-art equipment to make the fuel dock reliable and self-sustaining. The project cost more than $750,000.
"This was a big undertaking and no one knew until we got down to it. When we got down to it, we thought: when is the next chance we can make this happen?" said Johnny Pender, Pacific West Fuels site manager.
The fuel dock is one of many projects planned to restore Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, which includes rebuilding the dock and harbor office.
"We were glad we pushed ahead and we pushed ahead, primarily because we wanted to be part of the Lahaina recovery effort. We thought by being the first burned business to rebuild, it might inspire others to do the same," said Strutz.
According to the DLNR, it will cost about $30 million to rebuild the entire facility.