On August 15, 2014, NOAA and fellow Trustees, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Hawaii, working on the restoration of natural resources injured by the M/V Cape Flattery vessel grounding, released a Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment (Draft DARP/EA), opening a 30-day public comment period.

The Draft DARP/EA describes a course of action to restore habitat equivalent to the natural resources injured by the grounding of the M/V Cape Flattery outside Barbers Point, Oahu in 2005. Specifically, the plan describes a proposed project to remove alien algae which is smothering coral reef resources.

The preferred restoration project will remove the invasive algae with a mechanical vacuum device known as the “Super Sucker”, and the rearing and transplanting of sea urchins. This project would be paid for by damages from a legal settlement between the natural resource Trustees and the owners and operators of the M/V Cape Flattery.

On February 2, 2005, the 555-foot bulk carrier M/V Cape Flattery grounded on coral reef habitat outside the entrance channel to Barbers Point Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. Because of the substantial threat of a discharge of oil into navigable waters, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), State of Hawaii and Responsible Parties (RPs) developed a Salvage Operations Oil Spill Contingency Plan as part of an Incident Action Plan to provide direction for the response operations. Over the following days, responders offloaded fuel and cement cargo. Tugs and other vessels attempted to remove the M/V Cape Flattery from its grounded position and succeeded on February 11, 2005. Although cement cargo spilled into the water during offloading, no substantial discharge of oil to the environment occurred. The grounding resulted in injuries to natural resources, as did response actions taken to prevent or reduce the threat of a release of oil from the vessel into the environment.

For further information, contact Joe.Inslee@noaa.gov

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