The Japanese commercial fishing vessel Daiki Maru can be seen from Orote Point on U.S. Naval Base Guam. U.S. Navy Photo
The U.S. Navy is partnering with federal and local agencies in Guam in response to potential environmental impacts following the grounding of Japanese fishing vessel in outer Apra Harbor on Thursday.
The Navy reports that the all 10 crewmembers of the F/V Daiki Maru were rescued by a Navy aircrew after the vessel ran aground near Spanish Steps February 13 and was in danger of sinking. The fishermen were transported to U.S. Naval Hospital Guam for evaluation and later released.
Navy officials are taking all the necessary steps to address the situation and ensure the protection of the environment.
“It’s our number one priority on the Navy base along with all the agencies we are partnering with,” said Capt. Mike Ward, commanding officer of U.S. Naval Base Guam. “We’ve erected a unified command structure to respond to the incident. Our priority right now is to protect the environmentally sensitive area but we’re also developing a salvage and tow plan to remove the vessel off the reef right so we can remove the hazard from the environment. We need to do that safely but as expeditiously as we can.”
The Navy says it is working with the U.S. Coast Guard, Guam Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA, the responsible party and other organizations.
“As soon as we heard the news of the grounding, an environmental assessment team went out there to check for any possible damage that may have occurred to the reef or the sea turtles,” said Anne Brooke, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas conservation program manager. “This is a joint effort by a host of agencies. We train for this kind of thing and are very proficient at this.”
Update (February 15, 2014):
An initial assessment of the grounded FV Daiki Maru in outer Apra Harbor has confirmed no evidence of leaking contaminants visible on the beach and surrounding waters while contracted divers that boarded the vessel reported all oil vents found were securely closed.
Throughout the day Friday, cleanup crews on the beach and on personal watercraft in the harbor collected debris and transported them to a safe location on shore to prevent environmental damage, the U.S. Navy said.
“The unified command made a lot of progress today and the on-site team made some significant first steps in mitigating the potential damage this vessel could do to the environment” said Dennis Siler, Naval Base Guam Operations Manager. “Our objective as we enter the third day is to complete the safe transfer of heavy oils off the vessel which represent the greatest danger to the environment.”
The unified command consists of representatives from Naval Base Guam, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam, Guam Environmental Protection Agency, and the responsible party. Other agencies that have been involved in all aspects of planning from the standup include Joint Region Marianas Operations, Naval Facilities Command Environmental personnel, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Guam Fish and Wildlife Service, Cabras Marine and Osroco.
SINGAPORE, April 24 (Reuters) – Demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to power ships will rise this year on attractive prices, while more dual-fuel vessels join the global fleet, industry executives said....
ROME (Reuters) – An Italian judge on Friday cleared three migrant sea rescue charities that had been accused of abetting irregular immigration in complicity with human traffickers, throwing out a case opened...
(Bloomberg) — The closure of one of the East Coast’s busiest ports after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has so far not led to broad price increases,...
April 19, 2024
Total Views: 2191
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.