A luxury superyacht in Hawai'i stirred controversy — and not for its designer details. In a post shared to the r/Maui community on Reddit, a user uploaded photos of the enormous vessel — one taken in daylight and another showing it brightly lit up at night — with the caption, "Another one."

The yacht — named Liva O, according to one user's photo in the comments — reportedly belongs to a billionaire and was anchored just offshore.

While the first photo showcases the ship's sleek design, commenters weren't exactly dazzled. "It's a personal FU from billionaires to Maui residents," one said. "It's a way of saying we run things now and you can't stop us, because law doesn't apply to us."

There are real social and environmental concerns surrounding superyachts. On a social level, the presence of ultra-luxury vessels near communities struggling with rising housing costs and resources can be frustrating. Locals in Hawai'i have repeatedly voiced concerns about how billionaires and luxury tourism strain infrastructure and contribute to the displacement of residents.

Environmentally speaking, superyachts are among the most polluting vehicles on the planet. Ships such as the one pictured run on large amounts of dirty fuel. The use of it releases heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere, adding to the problem of rising global temperatures. Islands such as Hawai'i experience some of the worst consequences of extreme weather, including hurricanes and wildfires, which are supercharged by these rising temperatures. 

The boats also contribute to coastal noise and light pollution, which can interfere with marine life, including nesting sea turtles and coral ecosystems. That's especially disruptive in Hawai'i, where native species are already under pressure from global warming and tourism.

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"Lit up like a casino at night. Can't stand this! Light pollution is very real," one user commented. 

"Beautiful ship, but this should not exist. We can't have a functioning society with people this wealthy. Too many poor people for a few to be this rich," another wrote.

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