U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE VIA U.S. COAST GUARD
The Japanese fishing vessel Kotobuki Maru No. 38, shown here docked at the pier within Midway's inner harbor, sustained three 3-inch holes after apparently hitting an obstruction near the entrance to the Midway Atoll channel.
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No pollution from oil spill found
Experts from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Coast Guard walked the perimeter of the Midway Islands yesterday and found no pollution or soiled animals following a small oil spill, the Coast Guard said.
"Diesel is a very thin oil. What was spilled quickly burned away," said Coast Guard spokesman Lt. John Titchen, adding that there were no signs of pollution in the water.
Officials originally estimated that about 2,600 gallons of fuel spilled from the Japanese long-line fishing vessel Kotobuki Maru No. 38 on Thursday evening while the ship was attempting to deliver an injured crew member to Midway Atoll.
The owner of the vessel, Kabushiki Kaisha Fujiei Shoten, has hired ECM Maritime Services, a subsidiary of Pacific Environmental Company, to assist with the cleanup as required by federal law, Titchen said.
A containment boom was placed around the vessel at the pier at Midway Harbor while crews begin repairs to the hull. Divers yesterday found the hull sustained three 3-inch holes after apparently hitting an obstruction near the entrance to the channel, a Coast Guard news release said.
The amount of fuel remaining in the vessel was undetermined and the cause of the leak was still under investigation.
"That's our main order of business right now, that while they're making repairs to the boat that there's no potential threat to the environment," Titchen said.
The vessel's owners are working with the Fish and Wildlife Service and Coast Guard to determine when the vessel will be safe to depart from Midway.
The spill occurred in the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, where endangered Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles and the world's largest nesting population of Laysan and black-footed albatrosses live.