Case History: Swordman I

On June 5, 2000, the longline fishing vessel Swordman I, struck the eastern fringe of Pearl and Hermes Reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. At the time of the incident, the 77-foot fishing vessel had more than 70 miles of longline, 500 pounds of fishhooks, and about 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel onboard. In addition to concern for the physical and oil related impacts to coral habitats, Pearl and Hermes Reef is critical habitat for birds, turtles, and monk seals. These resources were at risk of being entangled in or hooked by the fishing gear.

The USCG responded to rescue the crew, stabilize the vessel, and address the pollution threat. The vessel owner did not have the necessary assets to conduct the response and the USCG took over the pollution response. The USCG removed 7,500 gallons of fuel and oil-contaminated water off the Swordman I. As the vessel became lighter wave action pushed the vessel higher up the reef.  The response team was then able to access lower compartments, where they found an additional 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel. The initial plan was to remove contaminants and floatable debris from the
wreck, but the USCG in consultation with the Trustees, determined that the remaining fuels and oil could not be removed safely and effectively and concluded that removing the vessel from the reef was warranted. A salvage vessel was contracted to refloat and tow the Swordman II to an authorized scuttling site 3.5 nautical miles southeast of Southeast Island, where it was sunk in 6,000 feet of water.

Since the purpose of the wreck removal was to address the residual pollution threat from the vessel, the USCG could use the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. The fund was opened to cover the costs of the response and vessel removal, which totaled over $1.5 million.

The Swordman I incident illustrates the benefits of prompt vessel removal. Although vessel removal was expensive, the prompt action eliminated the threat of fishing gear entanglement, residual releases of oil, and collateral reef injury if the vessel had been left to deteriorate on the reef. Because these threats were eliminated, no further site cleanup or restoration is anticipated. The initial response plan of removing the fuel but leaving the vessel would have resulted in long-term impacts to the reef ecosystem. If only the oil had been removed, the trustees would have had few options for removing the vessel since it was not a hazard to navigation. Furthermore, the absence of a pollution threat would likely have precluded use of the OPA fund for any further removal or damage assessment and restoration actions.