Diver re-attaches coral with stainless steel wire in damaged area (Coastal Planning & Engineering, Inc., September, 1997)

Date of incident: July 24, 1997.

Location: Mona Island, Puerto Rico.

Trustees:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Overview: In July 1997, the 325-foot container ship Fortuna Reefer ran aground on the fringing coral reef surrounding Mona Island, Puerto Rico. The 6.8-acre grounding site was dominated by a well-established thick of elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata. This natural resource damage action was pursued under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 because of a substantial threat of discharge of oil. As a result of an expedited $1.25 million settlement between the Trustees (NOAA and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) and the responsible party (Rama Shipping Company of Thailand), NOAA initiated an emergency restoration in September 1997 that was completed in mid-October 1997.