State seeks damages from Navy for USS Port Royal reef damage

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

State to seek claims against Navy for damage to reef off airport

Advertiser Staff

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said today it has formally notified the U.S. Navy that it has identified substantial coral reef damage caused by the grounding of the USS Port Royal in February.

DLNR said immediate measures are needed to stabilize injured coral and to prevent further damage by widespread debris to other areas of the reef.

DLNR said a letter sent to the Navy yesterday also documents the state’s intent to make a claim for damages that include: the cost of emergency mitigation to prevent further damage; the value of the coral reef substrate damaged by the grounding of the Port Royal and associated attempts to free the 567-foot-long vessel; and other secondary and tertiary damage to the reef ecosystem.

The state will be seeking compensation from the Navy to fund and implement coral habitat restoration projects that will enhance Hawaii’s reef systems and mitigate for loss of ecological services caused by the grounding of the vessel.

“While the state also intends to seek compensation from the U.S. Navy for any damage caused by the grounding incident, the first priority remains protection of the remaining coral reef resources,” said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairperson.

“We are asking the U.S. Navy to work with us to achieve the mutual goal of protection of the natural resources and minimization of ongoing damage to the same public trust resources,” Thielen said.

Thielen warned that costs will increase substantially unless the Navy acts to immediately mitigate the primary damage impacts by: assisting in the recovery of injured coral; preventing further secondary damage by removing or stabilizing significant amounts of damaged coral rubble prior to the arrival of large south summer swells; and protecting loose live coral to prevent further damage to public trust resources, in coordination with the State and in compliance with emergency permitting requirements.

Officials from DLNR and the attorney general’s office will meet with Navy officials tomorrow.

On February 5, 2009, the Port Royal ran aground atop the coral reef fronting Honolulu International Airport’s Reef Runway in depths of approximately 14 to 22 feet. The vessel was lodged atop the reef for three full days during which several attempts were made to free it.

The area where the 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, the state said. Numerous printed resources and the evaluation by various coral reef biologists concur that this area was one of the finest remaining reef habitats on the island of Oahu.

The main reef injury scar covers an estimated area of approximately 8,000 square meters. The documentation of the full area and extent of the damage associated with the grounding has not been completed, but it is estimated to cover an area of approximately 25,000 to 40,000 square meters

“The reef that was injured is an ancient one, full of coral colonies some of which took hundreds of years to reach their present size. A complex reef structure such as the one that was present prior to this injury forms numerous and intricate houses for the myriad of fish, invertebrates and sea turtles that use this reef for shelter and food resources,” Thielen said.

Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090401/BREAKING/90401076

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