The Coast Guard is continuing to respond to the situation involving 21 containers lost from the Young Brothers barge on its way to Hilo early Monday morning. In a previous release, the Coast Guard said the operators did not realize the containers had fallen off the barge until it docked at Hilo Harbor around 4:30 a.m.
Early Monday, fishermen reported seeing containers floating in the ocean.
A Cates Marine salvage team hired by Young Brothers is searching for missing containers.
Nine containers have been spotted around 8 miles north of Hilo. Two containers have been successfully towed and secured in Hilo Harbor. Another two containers are located and marked. Cates Marine personnel will continue retrieving containers.
Plans are in place to begin operation to remove the recovered containers from the water in Hilo Harbor this morning. A 250-ton crane has been contracted to lift containers out of the water in Hilo by American Marine. The company has developed a salvage plan to offload the barge and will submit it to Coast Guard Sector Honolulu personnel for review and approval.
Once begun, offloading in expected to take several days. Young Brothers says none of the containers in the water contain hazardous materials.
Twelve containers remain unaccounted for; aerial overflights were conducted Tuesday with no additional sightings.
Coast Guard personnel are working with Young Brothers, to investigate the incident. The event has been deemed a reportable marine casualty, meeting the criteria for such designation under the US Code of Federal Regulations. The damage and loss is estimated at more than $500,000. The National Transportation Safety Board advised State Senator Kai Kahale that it was informed of the incident and will advise Sen. Kahele of its findings. Young Brothers is also conducting an independent investigation into the incident.
A Coast Guard broadcast notice to mariners remains in effect for the waters off Hilo to advise mariners to use extra caution while transiting the area and keep a sharp lookout for any signs of containers that may present a hazard to navigation.
This incident comes at a time when Young Brothers says it’s asking the State Legislature for $25 million to offset shortfalls, since it’s the only interisland shipping company that calls at all the major islands, including Moloka’i and Lana’i. The Public Utilities Commission gave Young Brothers the ok to reduce barges to Hilo from two to one each week. In testimony before the PUC, President Jay Ana had said the company would load more cargo onto the single weekly barge. Sen. Kahale has speculated that overloading was part of the problem.
Photos courtesy State Sen. Kai Kahele:
