Coast Guard responding after 80-foot boat sinks in Ala Wai Boat Harbor

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating after an 80-foot boat sank in the Ala Wai Boat Harbor on Thursday night.

Officials said they responded to the incident around 9 p.m.

The big concern is the potential for pollution.

The Coast Guard says it is possible some 200 gallons of fuel may have spilled from the vessel, and at this time, it is unknown the amount of motor oil that could also be leaking.

Pollution responders were alerted the boat was sinking and responded quickly.

This is the same boat officials were trying to deal with Wednesday night, in which crews were working with the owner to pump water out of the boat and ensure that this didn’t happen.

After that dewatering process Thursday morning the owner told the Coast Guard he was able to handle it from there, but that wasn’t the case — and the boat completely sunk underwater.

Now, the Coast Guard has done what they call “federalizing” this case — meaning that they will now handle the cleanup process.

Cleanup contractors, Penco, are on site and working closely with Coast Guard crews to assess the situation and remove what pollutants they can.

The Honolulu Fire Department also responded to the incident Thursday night, and at this hour officials say they believe they were able to contain most of the fuel and oil, but it will be difficult to say exactly how much was released until the sun comes up and they can get a better look.

Officials added there is likely minimal damage to vessels surrounding the sunken boat.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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