Cleanup Ship Grounds, Spills Oil In Remote Hawaii Wildlife Refuge

[hatrack]

Oops.

HONOLULU -- "The managers of the national wildlife refuge where a debris cleanup ship ran aground say they are very concerned about potential damage to the remote area's treasured reef and ecosystem.

The delicate character of the accident site in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a breeding ground for endangered monk seals, has generated worries about potentially severe and long-lasting spoilage from the environmental cleanup project that somehow went terribly wrong. The possibility of oil leaking from the vessel, after a half-mile long sheen was spotted in the water nearby, or of the coral reef suffering harm from the impact of the ship running aground over the weekend were both troubling.

"We're very concerned," said Barbara Maxfield, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We have significant sea birds, Hawaiian monk seals, green sea turtles, spinner dolphins, and the coral reefs and all their inhabitants, on those islands."

The ship was in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to pick up fishing nets and other debris when it ran aground at 2 a.m. Saturday on Pearl and Hermes Atoll, about 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu. A Coast Guard C-130 plane monitoring the accident site by air spotted a sheen in the water on Sunday and Monday. Three Coast Guard pollution control experts left Oahu Tuesday morning to assess the source and extent of the discoloration. The group also planned to evaluate what steps they should take to clean up any leakage and contain any damage.

The 145-foot long ship was loaded with an estimated 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel, 3,000 gallons of gasoline and 200 gallons of lubricating oil."

EDIT

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/07/07/special_reports/science_technology/20_15_457_6_05.txt

[Cha]

1. So Sad~ Stupid oil

tankers!

[hatrack]

2. Sadly, not a tanker. Their job was to clean up ghost nets, other debris

I wish it weren't so G-D painfully ironic, but there it is.

[Cha]

3. Sorry, I get it.. It "ran

aground" so it let loose with all the stuff that makes it go. :(

[hatrack]

5. S'OK. I've done drive-by reading from time to time myself

:hi:

[Cha]

6. The "Hawaii" caught my

eye. I lived there for 6 years and am going back in a couple of years and it's so Beautiful. I really hate to see that happen anywhere but especially there.

:hi:

[mahina]

4. Still...

A Bad Word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!