US Navy Scars Healthy Hawaiian Reef

This is old news of a ship grounding on Hawaii's coral reefs. But it's worth bringing back into the spotlight since the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) recently released, for the first time, underwater photos of the damage (seen above and below).



On February 5, 2009, the 567-foot long U.S.S. Port Royal (left) ran aground atop the coral reef fronting the Honolulu International Airport's Reef Runway in depths of approximately 14 to 22 feet. The coral reef surrounding the reef runway is clearly marked on all navigational charts. The 9,600 ton vessel was lodged atop the reef for three full days during which several attempts were made to free the vessel. The vessel was finally removed on February 9, 2009. The resulting damage is estimated to cover an area of approximately 25,000 to 40,000 square meters (approximately 6-10 acres).

The area where the U.S.S. Port Royal ran aground was a complex "spur and groove" fringing reef (outcrops of coral interspersed with sandy areas) with a relatively high biodiversity of live coral and live rock. Numerous printed resources and the evaluation by State of Hawaii coral reef biologists concur that this area was one of the finest remaining reef habitats on the island of O'ahu.

Laura Thielen, chairwoman of the DLNR, has called for immediate remediation efforts on the part of the Navy and warned that the State would seek full recovery costs for any lack of mitigation by the Navy. She indicated that costs would increase substantially unless the Navy acts immediately.