Coast Guard monitors aground passenger vessel in Honolulu

Still video image of the Discovery passenger vessel before it ran aground Saturday, August 9, in Hawaii. (Credit: U.S. Coast Guard video)

The Coast Guard is monitoring a passenger vessel that ran aground near Kewalo Basin in Honolulu on Saturday, August 9.

The Discovery, a 75-foot passenger vessel that operates as a shuttle for Atlantis Adventures, is currently secured to the seawall at Kewalo Basin awaiting commercial salvage.

At 11 p.m. on August 9, personnel with the Pacific Environmental Corporation (PENCO) removed all accessible petroleum products and eight marine batteries from the vessel. In total, PENCO removed 2,275 gallons of diesel fuel and 36 gallons of hydraulic oil. No pollution or sheening has been reported.

The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation are overseeing the vessel’s salvage.

“The safe removal of a large, grounded vessel is a complex undertaking that requires careful coordination and planning,” said Cmdr. Daniel Brahan, Chief of Prevention, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. “We ask that beachgoers and boaters keep a safe distance from the Discovery as salvage operations continue.”

The Discovery’s operator reported that two large waves disrupted his course and that he lost propulsion once the vessel went aground. There were reportedly no mechanical failures prior to the vessel running aground. Details of the event are still under investigation by Sector Honolulu.

The on-scene weather at the time of the grounding consisted of 5 mph winds and 8 to 10-foot seas with a building south swell resulting in 10 to 12-foot breaking waves on Oahu’s south shore.

Sector Honolulu command center watchstanders received a report at 8:25 a.m. Saturday that the Discovery ran aground approximately 60 feet outside Kewalo Basin Harbor. The vessel’s captain and one crew member were aboard.

Watchstanders directed the launch of a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Station Honolulu, but due to shallow water depth and sea state, the boat crew was unable to reach the Discovery. Honolulu Ocean Safety Department jet ski crews arrived and confirmed that the two people aboard were uninjured.

At about 6:25 p.m. on August 9, Cates Marine Services and the tugboat Miki’oi arrived on scene and secured lines to the Discovery. During efforts to tow the vessel off the reef, the cleats failed to hold, requiring the towing operation to halt.