Blue bin found on beach might be tsunami debris

Another blue bin with Japanese characters believed to be debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami washed up on Lanikai Beach last week.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said it was found July 15 near the Mokumanu Drive beach access area. The state is waiting for origin-related confirmation from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Japanese government officials.

In April two large blue plastic bins, with identification marks that may be traceable to Japan, were found on Hawaii island’s Kamilo Beach and on Kauai’s Larsen’s Beach.

Items with identification numbers or Japanese characters are reported to NOAA, which works with the Japanese Consulate in Hawaii to try to locate the owner. If the items aren’t claimed, they are disposed of.

Also in April, state Land Department workers removed a 20-foot skiff bearing Japanese characters and vessel registration numbers from Alan Davis Beach, between Sandy Beach Park and the Makapuu Lighthouse trail.

The boat was the seventh reported in Hawaii since February. Three were found on Hawaii island coastline, at Kohanaiki, Kawaihae and Kawa Bay; one was recovered on Maui, near the Aston Mahana; and two on Oahu were spotted near Kahuku and Punaluu.

The Japanese government estimates that the tsunami, generated by a magnitude-9 earthquake on March 11, 2011, off Japan’s northeastern coast, swept about 5 million tons of debris into the ocean and that about 70 percent sank quickly.

The remaining debris dispersed across the North Pacific. Scientists predict tsunami debris will continue to arrive for at least the next three years.

Scientists maintain that wind and currents are the two major factors influencing the drift of the tsunami debris, with large items tending to wind up on the mainland’s West Coast.

Items confirmed to have come from the tsunami include vessels, buoys, sports balls, floating piers and a motorcycle in a shipping container. Other types of debris that could wash up include fishing nets, lumber, plastics, household items, foam pieces and possibly chemical or oil drums.