State wants help finding large piece of marine debris

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is asking the public’s help in tracking a large piece of marine debris that may be floating in waters off the Windward Coast of Oahu.

According to DLNR, the object appears to be a large metal container, approximately 20 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet tall. The object is painted light blue, and there is a small, square framed hole in the middle of its exposed top surface. The origin of the object is not yet known.

In a news release, DLNR Director William Aila asked people to contact the department with the latitude and longitude of the object and the date and time of sighting.

"We want to be able to take control of this large object before it can cause damage to a reef or introduce invasive species," Aila said in the release.

The object was first reported 21 nautical miles off Ilio Point, Molokai, on May 18. It was later spotted about 30 miles from the head buoy at Kaneohe, then near the MM FAD buoy off Windward Oahu.