Location: Pearl and
Hermes Atoll.
Trustees:
Case status: Restoration efforts are underway.
Site History: On
July 2, 2005, the M/V Casitas, owned and operated by F/V Northwind
Inc., a Seattle-based company, ran aground on Pearl and Hermes Atoll
in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), in what is now the
Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. NOAA had chartered the
145-foot Casitas to assist in marine debris removal in the remote
island chain. At the time of the grounding, the Casitas had on board
approximately 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel; 3,000 gallons of
gasoline; 200 gallons of lube oil; and 14 metric tons of marine
debris. Response and salvage efforts successfully removed nearly all
of the fuel and lube oil from the vessel, and no obvious releases
were observed. On August 4, with temporary patches in place, the
Casitas was refloated, towed to an approved disposal site northwest
of the atoll, and sunk in approximately 7,200 feet of water. Because
of safety concerns, the marine debris was sealed in the vessel's
holds.
In the spring of 2011 a Final Restoration Plan was completed and implemented to restore injuries caused by the grounding. These restoration efforts in 2011 resulted in the removal of 15 metric tons of marine debris from Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Midway Atoll, and other areas in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. In addition to these completed efforts another marine debris removal cruise is occurring in the summer of 2012.
