Question: Whatever happened to Hawaii Duck Tours, which operated two World War II-era amphibious craft for tourists around Oahu?
Answer: Following a flash fire in July 2010 that seriously injured an employee, Hawaii Duck Tours still has not met Coast Guard requirements that would enable it to be issued a certificate of inspection.
Without a Coast Guard certificate of inspection, Hawaii Duck Tours cannot take passengers into waters under Coast Guard jurisdiction, said Lt. Lee Cotterell of the Coast Guard’s investigations office.
“If they’re driving on land, they’re outside of Coast Guard jurisdiction,” Cotterell said.
On July 6, 2010, a company employee suffered second-degree burns while working on a vessel in the Hawaii Duck Tours warehouse in Kakaako.
A joint investigation by the Honolulu Fire Department and the Coast Guard concluded that the fire started when sparks from the ship’s electrical system ignited vapors from a fuel leak.
At the time, the Coast Guard said the company had to make “serious” repairs to its fleet of two modified Army and Marine Corps surplus trucks that had been manufactured during World War II.
A person who answered the Hawaii Duck Tours phone on Wednesday would not identify himself but said the company is not operating.
The company is hoping to receive its Coast Guard certificate of inspection in March, the person said.
The 2010 accident occurred just before two other duck boat accidents on the mainland drew attention to the niche tourist-oriented industry.
Two days after the Hawaii Duck Tours fire, a duck boat in Philadelphia sank after it was struck by a barge on the Delaware River, killing two Hungarian tourists.
Less than a week later, on July 13, a duck boat in Boston was involved in a traffic collision. None of the boat’s 29 passengers was injured.
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This update was written by Dan Nakaso. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To…” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.
