The cruise liner Statendam is shown of the coast of West Hawaii. Some residents reported the ship to have discharged "brown water" into Kailua Bay Tuesday morning.
Ship might have discharged 'brown water'; officials disagree
A number of residents say the cruise liner Statendam discharged "brown water" into Kailua Bay Tuesday morning, but ship and state officials said they are unaware of such any such incident.
West Hawaii Today received numerous calls that the ship discharged what appeared to be "brown water" into Kailua Bay for about 15 minutes to 20 minutes before it moved further out to sea. Several of the callers reported the discharge left a "brown mark" on the vessel's side.
However, Steve Lambert, shipping agent for Statendam in Kailua-Kona, said the ship moved further offshore because of the rough seas in the bay.
Janice Okubo, information specialist with the state Department of Health, said the Coast Guard confirmed that it was called upon to escort the ship into deeper water. She said a Coast Guard official at Kailua Bay said he saw nothing unusual around the ship.
Lambert, who said he was on the ship when it arrived, said the Statendam arrived at 6:30 a.m. After being inspected by port, customs and immigration officials who arrived by launch, a decision was made not to allow passengers to disembark.
Okubo said it is not unusual for large ships to stir up the bottom with their propulsion systems. She said sediment stirred up can make the ocean around the ship brown.
However, depth charts of Kailua Bay show the area where cruise ships dock -- known as "anchorage A" -- to be 130 feet deep.
Lambert said the ship departed about 10 a.m. on its way to East Hawaii to look at the volcano before heading back to Ensenada, Mexico and San Diego.
Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Todd Offutt of the 14th District Office in Honolulu said he had not received any reports about the incident, but had yet to speak to the detached duty inspector stationed at Kailua Bay.
Cruise ships are bound by a 2002 memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the state of Hawaii and the North West CruiseShip Association (NWCA), which represents nine cruise lines, including Holland America, which operates the Statendam.
The MOU sets forth in writing various environmental goals, policies, practices, and laws as they relate to the operation of cruise vessels in Hawaii.
Member lines agree not to discharge waste in the sensitive Hawaii Marine Area, comprised of those waters between the shoreline and any point 4 nautical miles beyond waters that are 600 feet deep (the 100 fathom contour line). Hawaii jurisdiction extends only three miles from land.
The state may allow ships with advanced wastewater treatment systems to discharge highly treated and disinfected wastewater within the Hawaii Marine Area beyond a nautical mile off shore and while traveling at six knots or more.
However, environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and Kahea have criticized the MOU as powerless because it is a voluntary agreement.
They also claim it is questionable because it is self-enforcing, partially because of the lack resources by the state Department of Health.
The Sierra Club advocates strict regulation, inspection and a berthing fee to fund a state inspection program.
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