Unloading grounded ship proves dicey
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Leeward O'ahu Writer
In a race against time and the elements, crews yesterday continued the off-again, on-again process of removing thousands of tons of cement from the grounded ship Cape Flattery.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
The 555-foot bulk carrier has been stranded on a reef 400 yards off the entrance of the Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor since running aground last Wednesday.
Substantial amounts of cement are being spilled as crews aboard a crane vessel struggle against choppy seas to move 6,000 metric tons of bulk cargo into a waiting barge one scoop at a time. Their goal is to free the ship before it breaks apart, causing environmental havoc.
"If they don't offload the cement, they can't get that thing off the reef," said state biologist Dave Gulko, who specializes in coral reefs. "And if they don't do that — if it breaks up on the reef — we're going to have a much bigger problem."
Environmentalists are concerned about the salvage operation because the ocean area is rich in coral and is a prime habitat for green sea turtles.
Yesterday, a trio of tugboats remained tethered to the Cape Flattery with taut lines to keep the ship stable and prevent it from shifting even closer to the shore. That prospect opened the possibility of the ship's breaking up on the reef.
Unloading the granular cement involves delicately maneuvering a crane vessel in sometimes choppy waters alongside the Cape Flattery and scooping dry cement from the ship's hold onto a barge stationed beside the crane — not a simple procedure.
Bystanders ashore witnessed the difficulty firsthand while clouds of cement dust scattered in the breeze as raw cement occasionally plunged into the sea.
Wai'anae resident Denise Mahuka, who had watched from the shoreline Sunday at Campbell Industrial Park, was startled and concerned by the amount of cement that seemed to be ending up in the ocean.
"When they were loading the clam-shell bucket and bringing it over the ship, it spilled over the edges," said Mahuka yesterday. "They were doing it as slowly as they could, and when there weren't any waves, they didn't spill much. But the three or four times they did spill — ooph! — big cloud of dust, and a whole bunch of it.
"I'd say at least a quarter of the scoop was ending up in the ocean."
Gulko, the coral reef biologist, said that while the cement is nontoxic and relatively harmless, there is concern that too much could smother the reef.
"We are aware of what went into the water, and we are aware of exactly where it went into the water," Gulko said.
But some spillage is the lesser of the potential hazards, he said. Gulko also said he believes that everyone involved in the operation is doing the best they can under adverse circumstances.
Gulko said plans are being made so that "as soon as the ship is removed," they'll "immediately go in and survey both the damage caused by the scarring effect of the ship itself and to document and measure any damage caused by the cement that entered the water."
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
The operation is coordinated by federal and state agencies and the owners of the ship. The operation was halted yesterday morning even before the scooping began after a barge crew member was hurt.
A huge crane mounted on a floating platform is maneuvered into place next to the Cape Flattery, aground off Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor.
"When something like that happens in an operation like this, you do a safety stand-down — which means everything stops," said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Brooksann Anderson, who had no details on what happened, other than to say the man was taken to a medical facility with a leg injury.
Meanwhile, one of the tug cables snapped, further delaying the effort. But by early afternoon, the crane and barge had returned and the tug line was replaced. By 2:30 p.m., the scoop was moving cement again.
James Lawrence, with Pacific Basin, the management company representing the owners of the Cape Flattery, said the plan calls for removing 6,000 metric tons of the cargo. That amount, he said, should lighten the ship enough to move it off the reef.
Lawrence said that by day's end yesterday, about 25 percent of the 6,000 metric tons would be removed.
Yesterday's weather, though rough at times, was more favorable than on Sunday, when wind and swells hampered the project. Eventually, the effort was suspended by the Coast Guard safety officer and resumed Monday night.
Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8038
• • •
