The U.S. Navy and other agencies have removed heavy oil, diesel fuel, and batteries from the grounded Japanese commercial fishing vessel ‘Daiki Maru 7’.
The vessel ran aground near Guam’s Spanish Steps on 13 February. Sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 conducted a search-and-rescue operation and rescued 10 fishermen from the sinking vessel. The fishermen were transported to U.S. Naval Hospital Guam for evaluation and later released.
Approximately 100 gallons of lubrication oil, 50 gallons of diesel fuel, 20 gallons of hydraulic oil and multiple marine batteries were safely removed, significantly lowering the amount of major hazardous materials onboard the grounded vessel. Divers also assessed the condition of the fiberglass diesel fuel tanks and determined that about 40% of the total capacity of diesel fuel potentially remains onboard. Environmental assessment teams on the shore determined that no sheen or residue has been found on the beaches near the vessel.
Teams on shore also loaded piles of debris into backpacks and hiked the materials off the beach via the Spanish Steps trail.
Dennis Siler, Naval Base Guam Operations Manager said that the majority of heavy oils and hazardous materials have been removed, ensuring that they can not cause significant damage to a very environmentally sensitive area.
The Navy and all partners in the unified command are taking all the necessary steps to address the situation and ensure the protection of the environment.
