GEORGE F. LEE / 2010
The bulk carrier Vogetrader ran aground and was freed off the shore of Kalaeloa in 2010 but not without causing coral damage.
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The owner and the operator of a 733-foot cargo vessel that ran aground near the entrance of Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor in 2010 have agreed to pay $840,000 for causing damage to coral.
Denak Ship Management and Vogetrader Shipping Inc. will pay the money to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to the terms of their agreement with NOAA and the state of Hawaii. The state and federal governments submitted their civil complaint and proposed consent decree in U.S. District Court on Thursday.
According to the agreement, NOAA will use $695,657 to restore, enhance and/or protect coral reef habitat and associated resources as well as provide oversight for restoration projects. The rest of the money will reimburse NOAA for damage assessment costs associated with the grounding.
NOAA says the incident damaged 103,027 coral colonies.
The parties have agreed to allow at least 30 days for public notice and comment on the proposed consent decree. The state and federal governments can withdraw from the deal if public comment discloses facts or considerations indicating that the consent decree is inappropriate, improper or inadequate. Denak and Vogetrader Shipping cannot withdraw from the agreement.
In 2011 the Navy agreed to pay the state $8.5 million for coral damage caused by the guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal when it ran aground about a half-mile off Honolulu Airport’s Reef Runway two years earlier. That money was in addition to $6.5 million the Navy spent to restore the damaged reef.
The Liberian-registered Vogetrader ran aground Feb. 5, 2010, as it was attempting to enter the harbor. Tugboats pulled the vessel off the reef 6 1⁄2 hours later.
The Coast Guard said the impact with the reef cracked the Vogetrader’s hull but that the vessel did not release fuel or oil into the water, and the incident did not seriously disrupt ship traffic. The Coast Guard also said the harbor master was aboard the vessel when it ran aground.
