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Pulverized corals cloud the water around grounded cargo ship VogeTrader
Pulverized corals cloud the water around grounded cargo ship VogeTrader

Public Comment Sought on Reef Restoration Plan

October 25, 2017

October 17, 2017 -- NOAA released a Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (DARP) for the M/V VogeTrader ship grounding. The comment period is open until November 15.

This proposed plan results from a 2010 incident when cargo vessel M/V VogeTrader ran aground. The ship was inbound to Barbers Point Harbor, near Honolulu, when it struck a coral reef. Once grounded, quick action prevented a fuel spill, but freeing the ship pulverized a large area of reef, harming more than 100,000 coral colonies. For more information on the ship grounding visit the DARRP website M/V VogeTrader page. 

The Plan outlines proposed restoration projects intended to compensate the public for injuries to these coral resources.The release of the Draft DARP begins a public comment period that will close on November 15th. An electronic version of the Draft DARP is available online here.

Comments may be submitted at the public meeting on October 20, 2017, or by email to HawaiiRestorationComments@noaa.gov.

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