Contractors continued work Thursday to safely remove fuel and other pollutants from a grounded 79-foot fishing vessel off Kaimana Beach in Waikiki — and the Coast Guard aims to have the entire craft removed from the area today.
The plan is to have the vessel, Pacific Paradise, removed from the reef by
10 a.m., Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Amanda
Levasseur said.
Penco, an emergency response cleanup contractor, returned Thursday after removing 300 gallons of fuel Wednesday from the Pacific Paradise.
By Thursday afternoon, officials estimated 2,700 gallons of diesel, 55 gallons of lubricating and hydraulic oils and four marine batteries remained aboard, according to a Coast Guard release. No pollution from the Pacific Paradise was sighted in the water or on shore, it added.
The Coast Guard set up a safety zone circling the wreck to keep the public at least 500 yards away, the release stated.
Another contractor, Cates Marine Service LLC, is to begin the salvage efforts once the fuel is removed, Levasseur said Thursday. That contractor plans to attempt to tow the stranded vessel off the reef.
Other agencies assisting include the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Department of Health’s Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response division, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to the Coast Guard.
The Pacific Paradise is a U.S.-flagged vessel and part of the Hawaii longline fleet homeported in Honolulu, the release said.
The Coast Guard and the Honolulu Fire Department rescued 19 fishermen and the captain from the fishing vessel after they received reports that the vessel grounded about 400 yards from shore Tuesday night.
No injuries were reported.
