Dog saga grows contentious
| • | Dog nowhere in sight during tanker fly-over |
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
The fate of the derelict refueling tanker Insiko 1907 and the rescue of Forgea, the mixed-breed terrier, yesterday gave federal marine safety and wildlife officials an itch they could barely scratch.
With concern growing about a potential "ecological disaster" should Insiko run aground somewhere on Johnston Atoll, it appears that the tanker will be sunk in deep water. The Coast Guard has sent a seagoing tugboat to keep the Insiko and its cargo of 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lube oil from the atoll.
But the mere mention of the potential scuttling yesterday triggered howls of protest from animal lovers on the Mainland. They barraged Coast Guard officials in Hawai'i with calls and e-mails after receiving an alert from the Humane Society of the United States that claimed the Insiko would be sunk with Forgea still on board.
"We got 50 calls in a two-hour period, and we've gotten hundreds of e-mails," said Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. DesaRae Atnip. "Before this it was, 'Great job, thanks for lowering the food.' Now it's 'You killers.' "
The Insiko has been drifting since it was crippled by a fire March 13. One crewman was killed and 11 others were later rescued. But Forgea, the captain's dog, was left behind with the body of the dead crewman. The tugboat crew has orders to try and retrieve the dog and the body of a crewman, if possible.
"We are still evaluating everything, but we are certainly leaning toward sinking the vessel," Atnip said. "They are going to do everything they can to get that dog off there up to the point of endangering lives."
If the ship runs aground on Johnston Atoll, pristine reefs, thousands of sea birds, hundreds of endangered green sea turtles and a handful of Hawaiian monk seals could be harmed, said John Naughton, Pacific Islands Environmental Coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
"There is a good potential she will run aground on the eastern reef of the atoll and we could have a real ecological disaster, not only from the grounded vessel, but from the 60,000 gallons of fuel and oil," Naughton said.
He said his agency's preferred option is for someone to remove as much fuel and oil as possible, then scuttle the ship in about 15,000 feet of water southwest of Johnston Atoll. The ship would sink in an area near a deep-water explosives dumping site, he said.
"Most of the fuel will go down with the vessel and remain locked inside," he said. "Fortunately, the water is very deep out there."
Neither the Coast Guard nor the fisheries service wants to let the ship keep drifting. And Naughton said it would not be a good idea to tow the damaged Insiko into any port because it could easily break up or sink.
"It is in very bad shape," he said.
The Coast Guard's troubles with animal lovers began when Martha Armstrong, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States, grew frustrated because she could not get "an absolute assurance" that Forgea would not go down with the ship.
The society sent an e-mail alert to its 14,000 members.
"The Coast Guard is deliberately ignoring our phone calls — we must flood them NOW with phone calls and faxes from the public urging them not to sacrifice Forgea! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE," the e-mail alert read.
When the Coast Guard complained to Armstrong that no decision had been made, a second e-mail alert congratulated members for saving Forgea.
"We didn't change our mind because they are harassing us," said Coast Guard spokeswoman Atnip. "They made the mistake in the first place. Our lawyers are looking at their retraction to get them to issue a real retraction."
She told Armstrong that the Coast Guard was not going to arbitrarily sink the Insiko.
"My ears are a little red," Armstrong said. "I have gotten quite a few angry phone calls from the Coast Guard."
Questions still remain and most of them will not be answered until the seagoing tugboat from American Marine Corp. reaches the Insiko, as early as tomorrow.
Rusty Nall, vice president of American Marine Corp., said his workers are skilled at salvage, but he will not place any unnecessary risks on them.
"Safety is our first priority," he said. "We would never endanger anyone for a body or a dog. We are well trained and well qualified but to say how far we go, I can't say until we see the vessel."
Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.
