M/V Vogetrader Vessel Grounding Draft Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment

State and Federal agencies (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the State of Hawaii, also known as the natural resource Trustees) working on the restoration of natural resources injured by the M/V Cape Flattery vessel grounding have released a Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/National Environmental Policy Act Evaluation (Draft DARP/NE), opening a 30-day public comment period.
On February 5, 2010, the 733-foot coal carrier M/V Vogetrader (Vogetrader) ran aground on coral reef habitat outside the entrance channel to Barbers Point Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. The vessel was owned and/or operated by Denak Ship Management and Vogetrader Shipping, Inc. (the Responsible Parties or “RPs”). The United States Coast Guard, State of Hawaii, and the RPs developed a Salvage Plan and coordinated with oil spill response personnel due to a substantial threat of a discharge of oil as the result of the grounding. The Vogetrader was ultimately removed from the reef habitat on the day of the grounding; however, physical injuries to coral reef habitat and associated resources resulting from response activities occurred.
The Draft DARP/NE describes a course of action to restore habitat equivalent to the natural resources injured by the grounding of the M/V Vogetrader outside Barbers Point, Oahu. Specifically, the plan describes a proposed project to create coral nurseries around the island of Oahu. This project would be paid for by damages from a legal settlement between the natural resource Trustees and the owners and operators of the M/V Vogetrader.

The release of the Draft DARP/NE begins a public comment period that will close on November 15th and will include a public meeting to discuss the plan on October 20th 2017. An electronic version of the Draft DARP/NE is available online at:

https://darrp.noaa.gov/ship-groundings/mv-vogetrader

Public Meeting:

October 20th, 5-8pm
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Holmes Hall Room 211
2540 Dole Street, Holmes Hall 240
Honolulu, HI 96822