HONOLULU (AP) - The Latest on efforts to remove a commercial fishing vessel grounded just off Honolulu’s Waikiki beach: (all times local):
10:50 a.m.
Efforts to remove a wrecked fishing vessel off Hawaii’s Waikiki beach have been delayed until the next high tide after the ship became stuck during salvage efforts.
The 79-foot (24-meter) commercial fishing vessel grounded nearly two months. Before the Pacific Paradise could be moved, it caught fire and leaked fuel.
A salvage crew was able to move it about 200 feet (60 meters) Wednesday until the derelict vessel got stuck in a shallow, sandy area.
U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Sara Muir says salvagers will utilize Thursday morning’s high tide to pull the boat out to sea, where it will be sunk at an EPA-approved site.
The Pacific Paradise was transporting foreign workers to Hawaii when it ran aground on Oct. 10.
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9:20 a.m.
A commercial fishing vessel that ran aground just off Honolulu’s famed Waikiki beach is stuck again.
Salvage crews were able to refloat the Pacific Paradise and tow it for a bit Wednesday before it got stuck in a shallow sandy area.
The 79-foot (24-meter) fishing boat carried foreign workers and ran aground nearly two months ago. Before it could be moved, it caught fire and leaked fuel just a few hundred yards off one of Hawaii’s most famous beaches.
U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Sara Muir says salvage crews continue to work Wednesday around high tide to get the ship to deeper water.
Muir said a part that connects the tow line to the vessel broke and was being replaced.
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7:42 a.m.
A commercial fishing vessel carrying foreign workers that ran aground and later burned and leaked fuel just off the beaches of Waikiki is being towed out to sea where it will be sunk by salvage workers.
After being filled with foam and water to regain buoyancy, the 79-foot Pacific Paradise was connected to a tugboat to be hauled off the reef Wednesday.
The crash raises new questions about the safety and working conditions of foreign laborers in the Hawaii fleet.
No one aboard called for help, and rescue teams responding to eyewitness reports found 19 foreign workers and an American captain.
The vessel - based in Honolulu and used to catch tuna in the Pacific - smashed into the reef just before midnight on Oct. 10 in about 6 feet of water just a few hundred yards offshore.
Days later, it caught fire, causing extensive damage that slowed its removal and sent debris, fuel and oil into the ocean.
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