CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A defunct disco party boat stuck in shallow water in south San Diego Bay for more than five years was removed at a cost to the public of $313,000, it was reported Sunday.

It was the most expensive boat-removal project in the San Diego Unified Port District's history at almost nine times more than the previous most expensive removal, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Port officials fought the boat's owners for several years in court to force them to remove the 120-foot vessel and finally obtained permission last year to remove it themselves, according to the newspaper. The removal took place June 2.

Neptune's Palace became stuck in shallow water about 500 yards off Chula Vista following a storm in January 2003.

The removal took 10 days to plan and seven hours to execute, the newspaper reported.

Port spokeswoman Marguerite Elicone told the Union-Tribune that the boat's sheer size and environmental issues drove up the removal cost.