Grounded ship near Hilo to be sunk at sea
A 69-foot commercial fishing boat that ran aground early Friday off Onomea has broken in half and will likely have to be sunk in deep waters, the Coast Guard and an official involved in the clean-up operation said.
Seven Stars, owned by Honolulu-based Kwang Myong, Co., broke in two late Friday, Coast Guard spokesman Michael De Nyse said yesterday. The bow has now sunk about half a foot into the sand, he said, and the stern is on nearby rocks.
Pacific Environmental Corp., a clean-up company, removed 700 gallons of diesel fuel from the ship Friday before it broke up.
Officials will decide today how to take the boat off the remote shoreline, about seven miles north of Hilo's Kukui Point.
Rusty Nall, Pacific Environmental vice president, said the removal is expected to be difficult because of high surf in the area and the location of the ship at the base of a 50-foot cliff.
"There's very treacherous, extremely large surf," he said. "But we've got people over there working on it."
Because of the condition of the ship, Nall said, it will likely be dragged out to sea and sunk. "It's not going to be salvaged," he said.
The boat grounded about 5:30 a.m. Friday, but all six crew members on board sustained only minor injuries.
Yesterday, Pacific Environmental workers picked up debris -- including wooden planks and fishing supplies -- from waters near to where the boat grounded.