U.S. COAST GUARD PHOTO VIA KITV After a contractor pumped off its fuel, the stricken ship was sent to the bottom yesterday by explosive charges set by the Coast Guard, which reported no oil sheen or debris.

Coast Guard sinks
crippled ship Insiko

The tanker that made its canine
famous lies in waters off Kalaeloa

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By B.J. Reyes
Associated Press

The Coast Guard sank the tanker Insiko yesterday, bringing to an end the saga of the crippled ship that drifted for weeks near Hawaii with a lone occupant, a dog that was unintentionally left behind.

The Indonesian vessel was towed to a spot about 14 miles southwest of Kalaeloa on Oahu, where explosives were used to send it to the ocean floor about 6,000 feet below, Coast Guard Chief Tyler Johnson said.

"Only thing that came off of it was some dust and some rust, and that was about it," Johnson said. "There was no oil sheen or anything like that -- no debris."

A contractor this week completed cleanup of the 256-foot Insiko in preparation for its sinking. More than 296,000 gallons of fuel, oil and water had to be pumped from the vessel to minimize the potential of environmental damage.

During the cleanup, crews also discovered remains, believed to be those of Gi Huy Nian, the Chinese crew member who died aboard the ship. The remains were so badly burned that the city medical examiner's office has yet to make a positive identification.

Because of the delay, the Coast Guard was unable to accommodate a request by the victim's family that his remains be entombed aboard the Insiko.

The story of the Insiko began March 13 when a fire in the engine room knocked out the ship's power and communications. It was spotted April 2 by the cruise ship Norwegian Star, which rescued 11 crew members but unintentionally left behind the captain's 2-year-old mixed-breed white terrier, Hok Get.

A $48,000 rescue effort launched by the Hawaiian Humane Society on April 5 was called off two days later when the Insiko could not be found. The ship was later spotted by a fishing vessel and then a Coast Guard plane, which reported seeing the dog running around on the deck.

It eventually drifted into U.S. territorial waters near Johnston Island, about 820 miles southwest of Hawaii, allowing the Coast Guard to cite the federal Oil Pollution Act and treat the vessel and its 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lubricating oil as a hazard to the marine life around the atoll.

A tug boat hired by the Coast Guard saved the dog and recovered the Insiko late last month and arrived in Honolulu Harbor May 2.

Hok Get, who earlier was referred to as Forgea because of a faulty transliteration of the dog's Taiwanese name, is now in quarantine on Kauai. She is to be adopted locally by a friend of her owner.

The entire cost of the recovery and sinking was $500,625, all of which was covered by an oil industry environmental fund set up under the Oil Pollution Act, the Coast Guard said.