Maui News

A passenger ferry has run aground near the entrance to Maui's Maalaea Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard said. At 5:05 a.m. on Monday, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders received notification from the 55-foot ferry Expeditions Five, which had run aground with three crew members on board.Watchstanders issued an urgent marine broadcast to mariners and dispatched a 29-foot Response Boat-small crew from Station Maui. The Station Maui crew confirmed that the vessel was hard aground…

State and federal responders with the US Coast Guard Western Maui Wildfire Emergency Support Function #10 Unified Command are conducting vessel recovery and removal operations as part of their efforts to restore Lahaina Harbor and surrounding waterways following the August 8 wildfire.The Unified Command and the primary contractor, Global Diving & Salvage, have begun vessel recovery and removal operations in the vicinity of Lahaina Harbor. The response teams have a mission priority to preserve the marine ecosystem.

Port Angeles, Wash.-based Brix Marine has delivered the Pacific Whale Foundation's new research vessel Kaiao, custom-built to support marine research, conservation and education.Founded in 1980 and based in Maui, Hawaii, the PWF is a nongovernmental organization that has been at the forefront of whale research and public education, striving to safeguard the marine environment and prevent the destruction of Humpback whale populations and other aquatic species in the region.With an overall length of 30 feet and a beam of 11 feet…

Investigators have located a Boeing 737-200 cargo jet that made an emergency water landing off the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean on July 2, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday.Transair Flight 810 was found approximately 2 miles offshore from Ewa Beach. The major components of the airplane -- the aft fuselage including both wings and tail along with both engines, and forward fuselage -- were located on the sea floor at depths between 360 and 420 feet…

A U.S. Coast Guard ship fired about 30 warning shots after 13 vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came close to it and other American Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon said on Monday.This is the second time within the last month that U.S. military vessels have had to fire warning shots because of what they said was unsafe behavior by Iranian vessels in the region, after a relative lull in such interactions over the past year.Pentagon…

In an alert that appeared aimed squarely at Iran, the U.S. Navy issued a warning on Tuesday to mariners in the Gulf to stay 100 meters away from U.S. warships or risk being “interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures.”The notice to mariners, which was first reported by Reuters, follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass Navy vessels."Armed vessels approaching within 100 meters of a U.S. naval vessel may be interpreted as a threat," according to the text of the notice.A U.S.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had instructed the U.S. Navy to fire on any Iranian ships that harass it at sea, a week after 11 vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came dangerously close to U.S. ships in the Gulf.Close interactions with Iranian military vessels were not uncommon in 2016 and 2017. On several occasions, U.S. Navy ships fired warning shots at Iranian vessels when they got too close.While the Navy has the authority to act in self-defense…

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned the United States about its military activities in the Gulf on Sunday, adding that their navy had as a result increased patrols, which would also secure the passage of Iranian ships and combat fuel smuggling.The U.S. military said on Wednesday that 11 Revolutionary Guards naval vessels had come close to its navy and Coast Guard ships, describing the moves “dangerous and provocative”.The Guards’ statement on Sunday, which said Iran will give a decisive response to any mistake by the United States in the Gulf…

Eleven vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came dangerously close to U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Gulf, the U.S. military said on Wednesday, calling the moves “dangerous and provocative.”While such interactions had occurred occasionally a few years ago, they had stopped, and this incident comes at a time of increased tensions between the two countries.According to the statement, the Iranian vessels approached six U.S. military ships while they were conducting integration operations with Army helicopters in international waters.At one point…

The U.S. Coast Guard and good Samaritans assisted the crew of the 63-foot catamaran Kaulana after it reportedly struck a rock off Manele Bay, Hawaii, Saturday morning.A Station Maui 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew arrived on scene and assisted with damage control. The crew of the vessel Maui Princess transferred the 15 passengers from the Kaulana and towed the stricken vessel to Lahaina. The RB-M crew remained with both vessels until they enter the harbor channel. There are no reports of injuries.“We are thankful for the quick response from the crews of the Maui Princess and Quicksilver…

Hurricane Lane, a powerful Category 3 storm, spun slowly north out of the Pacific toward Hawaii on Friday, causing torrential downpours and catastrophic flooding on the Big Island.The greatest threat from wind and rain shifted to Maui overnight and then to Oahu, the U.S. state's most populous island, through Friday, the National Weather Service said. Hurricane conditions were possible over Kauai into Saturday, according to forecasts.More than 2 feet (60 cm) of rain had already fallen on a few areas on the windward side of the Big Island…

The Coast Guard 14th District held a change of command ceremony bidding farewell to Rear Adm. Vincent B. Atkins and welcoming Rear Adm. Brian K. Penoyer, at Coast Guard Base Honolulu, Wednesday.Vice Adm. Fred M. Midgette, commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area presided over the ceremony.Penoyer has served as Atkins’ chief of staff since 2016, advising the district commander on all Coast Guard missions conducted in the central and south Pacific. He is a 2015 recipient of the Coast Guard’s Type I Incident Commander qualification…

Just two weeks after accepting the U.S. Coast Guard’s congratulations on a military career spanning almost three decades, Rob Nakama drove from Washington D.C. to Seattle to join Foss Maritime as the company’s Manager of Contingency Planning and Emergency Response. “I’ve been in the military for the majority of my life; the transition has been surreal,” he said. Nakama was born in Hawaii, growing up on the island of Maui as the son of a taro farmer who worked for the Aloha Poi Factory.

The captain and crew of Holland America Line’s ms Veendam were honored by the Association for Rescue at Sea with a prestigious AFRAS AMVER Award for the 2015 rescue of a pilot who ditched his aircraft in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System was implemented by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1958, and the AMVER Awards were created in 1971 to recognize vessels that participate in the program. Holland America Line received the award at the annual Coast Guard Award Ceremony Sept. 21, 2016, at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Veendam’s Captain Eric van der Wal accepted the honor on behalf of the cruise line.

The 65-foot commercial passenger vessel Spirit of Kona ran aground on the island of Hawaii, Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders received notification Sunday morning that the vessel ran aground on the rocks near the Kailua-Kona Lighthouse. The vessel reportedly broke free of its mooring in Kailua Bay as Tropical Storm Darby passed over the region early Sunday. No one was aboard the vessel at the time of the incident. The vessel reportedly has a maximum pollution potential of 600 gallons of diesel fuel aboard…

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port continues to closely monitor the movement of Hurricane Ignacio and based on the storms current trajectory to the northwest it does not appear that the closure of commercial ports in the Hawaiian Islands will be necessary. As a precaution, the COTP has moved the ports of Hilo and Kawaihae on the Big Island and the ports of Kaunakakai and Kahului in Maui County to Condition X-Ray (III): The READINESS condition in which winds above 34 knots (39 mph) are expected within 48 hours. The Port Conditions of Kalaeloa and Honolulu on Oahu are Whiskey (IV): The ALERT condition in which winds above 34 knots (39 mph) are expected within 72 hours. There is no upgraded Port Condition set for Kauai at this time.

The Coast Guard suspended the search Monday for a missing mariner after the fishing vessel he was aboard capsized approximately one mile west of Lanai. “Following extensive efforts by sea, air, and land we have decided to suspend the search.” said Capt. Shannon Gilreath, Sector Commander, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. The Coast Guard conducted an extensive search of the area, conducting 60 sorties, totaling 120 mission hours and covering approximately 4,531 square miles. Involved in the search were an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, the Coast Guard Cutter Kiska, homeported in Hilo, a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Maui as well as a Coast Guard Auxiliary airplane and boat.

U.S. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rescued one man and is still searching for another after the 34-foot fishing vessel Munchkin ran aground on the rocks about one half a miles west of Lanai, Hawaii 12:12 a.m. today. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point located and recovered one survivor in the water about 3:20 a.m. today. The survivor was taken to Memorial Hospital on Maui. The Coast Guard Cutter Kiska, a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium response from Station Maui and the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew continue to search for the second man who is still missing. Current on-scene weather conditions are 10 mile per hour winds with 3-4 foot seas.

On Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, at 5:21 p.m. local time while en route to Lahaina, Hawaii, Holland America Line’s ms Veendam answered a request for assistance from the United States Coast Guard to rescue a pilot who had ditched his single-engine Cirrus SR-22 after he experienced a mechanical issue with the fuel system. The pilot was located approximately 225 nautical miles off the coast of Maui, Hawaii. In partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, Veendam was able to successfully rescue the pilot, who deployed the aircraft’s airframe parachute system and safely exited the plane into a life raft. Holland America Line crewmembers brought him aboard Veendam and provided him food and accommodations. The pilot, who was in good condition, disembarked today, Jan. 26, at Lahaina.

A man is safe after being rescued from a disabled boat approximately 46 miles southwest of Kahoolawe, Maui, Saturday. At 10:15 a.m., watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center received notification from a friend of the vessel’s operator reporting that the 19-foot boat was disabled. The mariner contacted his friend using a cell phone. An approximate position was determined using information form the cell phone call. An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew and the 378-foot Coast Guard Cutter Rush were diverted to search. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew launched from Air Station Barbers Point and a 45-foot Response-Boat Medium crew launched from Station Maui. The disabled boat was spotted at 7:06 p.m. when the Hercules aircrew noticed the mariner waving a flashlight.

The Coast Guard and Ocean Safety rescued two kayakers trapped on Molokini Crater Monday. Watchstanders at Sector Honolulu Command Center received notification at 3:20 p.m. from Maui Fire Department of two kayakers who were beset by weather and were forced onto the rocks on Molokini Crater. After climbing to safety, the kayakers called 911 for assistance. A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Maui and a jet ski from Ocean Safety responded. At 3:46 p.m., the jet ski arrived on scene and ferried the kayakers from the rock to the awaiting RB-M. The kayakers were safely brought aboard the RB-M and transported to Station Maui at 4:15 p.m. No injuries were reported and both kayakers were wearing lifejackets. On-scene conditions were 29 mile per hour winds and three foot seas.

Young Brothers, Limited informs that intrastate cargo shipments between Honolulu and six neighbor island ports finished basically flat, experiencing a slight increase of 0.3 percent in the second quarter ending June 30, 2014. “A year ago, the second quarter had significant volume growth, so a flat comparison still signals relative strength in the Neighbor Island economies from our viewpoint,” said Glenn Hong, president of Young Brothers. The April – June quarter marks five successive quarters of positive comparisons in cargo volume, quarter over quarter. The first quarter of 2014 saw a 4-percent rise in volume, while the second, third and fourth quarters of 2013 experienced increases of 4.4 percent, 5.2 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

The US Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Hawaii Pacific, has closed ports for Big Island, Maui County to include the islands of Molokai and Lanai, and Oahu to all traffic. According to a News Release issued, all cargo operations at these ports were to be secured by 6pm yesterday. Vessels transiting within the vicinity of the Hawaiian Island harbours are urged to seek sheltered waters until storm conditions subside and the Captain of the Port has deemed the ports safe to reopen. Once the storm has passed and the threat of severe weather has subsided, the Coast Guard, Army Corp of Engineers and State of Hawaii will jointly conduct surveys of channel blockage and prioritize steps to resume essential, then normal, vessel traffic.