US Coast Guard Restores Critical Aids to Navigation in Hawaiian Waters
Anyone sailing among or to the Hawaiian Islands will be pleased to hear that the US Coast Guard has restored critical aids to navigation in Hawaii, following damage caused by Hurricane Lowell. The work that took place on September 9–15 supports the reopening of several harbors and the safe movement of maritime traffic. The following report comes from the Coast Guard.
The hurricane affected 11 aids to navigation throughout the islands, prompting the closure of Port Allen on Kauai and Kaumalapau Harbor on Lanai due to in-water hazards and discrepancies with navigational aids. Both ports were placed in port condition recovery.
Coast Guard crews conducted dive operations, repositioned damaged navigation aids, and delivered equipment to restore safe access to affected waterways.
On Kauai, divers from Regional Dive Locker Pacific completed 14 dives with support from Coast Guard Station Kauai, the crews of Coast Guard Cutter William Hart and Coast Guard Cutter Juniper.
On Oahu, divers from Regional Dive Locker Pacific completed 10 dives with support from Coast Guard Station Honolulu and Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock.
Throughout the response, crews recovered, repositioned, marked, and re-established critical aids to navigation. They also conducted side-scan sonar sweeps of Port Allen Harbor to check for submerged hazards.
Multiple HC-130 Hercules crews from Air Station Barbers Point delivered personnel and equipment to Lanai to facilitate dive operations and support efforts to repair Kaumalapau Harbor.
The restoration efforts supported the Coast Guard Captain of the Port’s official reopening of Port Allen and Nawiliwili Harbor on Kauai, and restored safe access for commercial, military, cruise-ship and other maritime traffic. Equipment delivered to Lanai supported the official reopening of Kaumalapau Harbor, Lanai, while the removal of Honolulu Harbor Lighted Buoy 4 from the navigation channel supported reopening Honolulu Harbor to deep-draft vessels.
“Maintaining aids to navigation, especially after a storm like Hurricane Lowell, is essential for the flow of commerce throughout the Hawaiian Islands,” said Cmdr. Andrew Williams, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu response department head. “We are proud of the exceptional work of our crews and our partners at the Hawaii Department of Transportation for their work to reopen critical harbors and safeguard the flow of maritime traffic.”