Officials have tried a number of methods to get the grounded vessel out of Kaimana Beach in Waikiki. But officials say the more they move the vessel, more problems are revealed.
So what happened today and how much is this costing?
Officials are finding more holes in the vessel and they need to patch those up so the vessel does not continually fill up with water.
The fire that started on the vessel mid-October may have also added to the problem.
Coast Guard officials say a lot of water was used to put out the fire which sank the vessel in place.
“Some of that water has continued to be there since that time, and the vessel has suffered damage in that fire, and it had to be repaired so we can try to re-float it,” U.S. Coast Guard Spokeswoman Sara Muir said.
The foam that was applied recently has given the vessel buoyancy, but revealed holes they didn’t know existed.
“It is a hole that needs to be patched and we do that with a variety of different methods,” Muir said. “The process is to refloat the vessel and tow it out offshore and let it sink. So we want to patch the vessel, but we don’t want to do too much because we have to turn around and sink it.”
So just how much money is this costing? And are tax payers responsible?
“So I want to be very clear that the taxpayers are not paying for this response. The owner of the vessel is and they have been working alongside the unified command from the very beginning for that process. Their insurance is paying for the removal of the vessel,” Muir explained. “We also have access to the oil spill liability trust fund.”
The owner of the vessel has not been fined, but that could change after the investigation is done. Once the vessel is towed, Coast Guard will be conducting an investigation which could take several months to complete.
“I don’t know exactly. I believe they (owner of vessel) are over a million dollars at this point, but I don’t know what that final figure will be,” Muir said.
Officials say they will make repairs tomorrow hopefully before high tide.
