The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) has awarded a contract to Shipwright LLC for the removal of the vessel Falls of Clyde from Honolulu Harbor. The plan is to dispose of the vessel at a deep-water site located at least 12 miles south of the harbor.
Shipwright, based in Florida, specializes in maritime technical consulting and has assembled a team experienced in salvage, remediation, wreck assessments, dead ship tows, derelict vessel removal, and handling fragile hulls.
Starting July 21, 2025, Shipwright will begin removing debris and restoring the watertight integrity of the ship’s subdivision bulkheads. This will be followed by hull strength remediation to prepare for safe towing out of the harbor during storm threats or emergencies. From August through November, additional structural reinforcement work will be conducted before towing and disposal scheduled for late November. Necessary approvals from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard will also be sought by Shipwright. The project is estimated to cost $4.9 million.
In July 2024, HDOT requested bids for permanently removing the vessel from the harbor. The proposal called for bidders to recommend methods and means of removal.
HDOT had previously evaluated options such as dismantling, ocean disposal, or third-party acquisition in its Final Environmental Assessment issued in June 2024. Additionally, HDOT addressed other regulatory requirements related to state and federal historic preservation laws.
Last year, HDOT collaborated with a maritime archaeologist to catalog and safely remove historical items from the vessel; these artifacts are now stored securely.
The Falls of Clyde has been docked at Honolulu Harbor since 2008 at Pier 7 after serving as a museum ship for the Hawai‘i Maritime Center. It was impounded in 2016 when its permit was revoked due to failure by its owner to remove it from the harbor; since then it has remained under department custody.
Over recent years HDOT has prioritized removing non-operational vessels from commercial ports aiming to protect maritime facilities improve port efficiency support commerce while facilitating movement over ninety percent imported goods entering through Honolulu Harbor
