Molasses spill highlights gap in harbor rules

No one wants accidents to happen, but we all know they’re possible, so it’s necessary to be prepared to some degree. That’s particularly true when companies ask for the privilege of doing business, literally, in Hawaii’s precious natural environment.

So it boggles the mind to learn that Matson Navigation Co. had no response plan for molasses spilling into Honolulu Harbor from a leaky pipe, let alone for the 1,400-plus tons of it now killing fish and marine life by the thousands.

The environmental disaster — possibly the worst in Hawaii’s history — is still being assessed to see what laws or rules have been breached. But fines or other penalties to the company must reflect the severe nature of the damage and the inexplicable laxity in inspection and oversight of undersea pipes.

And remedies are needed to prevent a similar industrial incident in the future.

"This is the worst environmental damage to sea life that I have come across, and it’s fair to say this is a biggie, if not the biggest that we’ve had to confront in the state of Hawaii," said Gary Gill, the state Health Department’s deputy director for the environmental health.

The spill was detected Monday morning, with reports of "dark discoloration" in the water. Soon, fish and other marine life were spotted floating in the harbor, suffocated by the molasses.

So far, more than 2,000 dead sea creatures — crabs, eels and at least 10 different species of fish — have been scooped out of the harbor and Keehi Lagoon. The dead marine life has raised concerns about sharks being drawn closer to shore, and that the plume could foster algae blooms, posing a public health threat.

Also being threatened are coral colonies that are in the path of the spreading molasses. The environmental disaster has made national news.

Matson said it has disaster-response plans for spills of oil and other chemicals, but not for molasses. Why this was not a requirement — by the state departments of health or transportation or other agencies charged with protecting public health or natural resources — must be examined.

Unfortunately, this serious deficiency only exacerbated the hand-wringing situation, and it wasn’t until Friday — some four days after problem detection — that spill-response experts were dispatched here by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. At least that should provide some much-needed expertise and direction on how to contain the ecological damage.

Molasses, a byproduct of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co.’s Maui plantation, is shipped by Matson weekly to the mainland via Oahu. Matson said the molasses leak occurred in a section of corroded pipe under Pier 52 not normally used. It is now temporarily patched, and Matson has ceased all movement of molasses onto ships as it ensures that it has the "full checks in place."

Clearly, there were serious breakdowns in operations, as Matson could not explain much about the pipe’s use or maintenance.

Also worrisome is that both Matson and state officials say the faulty stretch of pipe had not been used for years — in fact, the company thought it had been closed — indicating a breakdown in use procedure as well as equipment knowledge.

Questions have emerged to which the company and state officials simply don’t seem to know answers.

Matson appears sincere in trying to rectify problems and take responsibility, such as a hotline for claims by those losing money due to the spill. It already faces state fines of up to $25,000 daily for violating the Clean Water Act. And the cleanup bill for the dead marine life, water testings and whatever technologies the EPA experts recommend will need to be absorbed by the company.

But the tough questions will surely keep coming, especially since a legislative committee plans an investigative hearing this week into this episode.

Better answers are needed into what and why things went wrong, the oversight gaps in business and government policy, and the scope of ecological damage and recovery.

What started off last week as an odd sticky mishap has quickly turned into a cost-of-doing-business imperative. Industries here must be vigilant to ensure equipment and procedures pass muster to protect Hawaii’s environment and ecosystems.

And government needs to be there to ensure that such standards of care exist, and are adhered to.