Matson Clean Up The Hawaii Molasses Mess

Dear Matson Navigation President & Corporate Board of Directors,

NBC News has made us aware: " The shipping company, Matson Navigation pipeline running from storage tanks to ships spewed up to 233,000 gallons of molasses – enough to fill one-third of an Olympic-size pool – into the water on Monday. Sate officials said the thick substance swamping the harbor and turning the water brown has already wreaked havoc with marine life, making it difficult for fish and other creatures to breathe.

"This is the worst environmental damage to sea life that I have come across, and it’s fair to say this is a biggie, if not the biggest that we've had to confront in the state of Hawaii," Gary Gill, deputy director for the Environmental Health Division of the Health Department, told KHNL.

The shipping company, Matson Navigation, said the leak was repaired on Tuesday, but "there's nothing it can do to clean up the mess."

We, the Citizens of the mainland of the United States are petitioning Matson Navigation to be environmentally responsible to the community of Hawaii, to clean up and restore the damage that their molasses pipeline leak has done to their local marine ecsoystem of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii's oceans and beaches are considered one of the "crown jewels" of American Tourist destinations, supplying over 150,000 jobs to the islands of Hawaii and maintaining their local economy. Your molasses spill places this eco system in jeopardy, especially as it flows out beyond the bay. Clean it up.  

Tourism is the largest source of private capital into the Hawaiian Islands, contributing $11.4 billion in visitor spending and $1 billion in tax revenue last year. US, reef-related recreation and tourism account for an estimated $364 million in added value to Hawaii's economy each year and its nearshore reefs annually contribute nearly $1 billion in gross revenues for the state. We expect "Our Commons," which includes the beauty of the Hawaiian islands and their beaches and marine life to be treated with great professional care and respect. We insist Matson Navigation provide the Hawaiian Government, the local people and fishing communities of Hawaii, the following support and aid in regards to cleaning up the damage created by your molasses spill now or in the future, to be expedited immediately:

1 - Use booms to contain the molasses spill. Consult with the University of Delaware: Sea Grant Program (UDSGP), spilled substances float on water, hire clean up teams to contain it in one area first and then try to take it out of the water. Booms  prevent it from polluting shorelines and other resources and concentrate it  into a thicker substance that is easier to collect. The EPA describes booms as  having four elements.  A "freeboard" sits about 1 meter above the water to  contain the substance and prevent waves from splashing it over the top of the  boom, and a flotation device keeps it afloat.  A "skirt" hangs about 1 meter  below the water to contain the spill beneath the surface and reduce the amount of substance lost under the boom.  A chain or cable called a "longitudinal support" runs  along the bottom of the skirt and strengthens the boom against wind and waves as  well as providing a weight to support the boom and keep it  upright.

2 - Use skimmers to suck or scoop up the molasses substance. According to the UDSGP, skimmers  float across the top of the spilled substance within the boom and scoop the oil into storage  tanks on nearby vessels or on the shore. The EPA describes three types of  skimmers. Weir skimmers trap the spilled substance into a well, oleophilic skimmers blot the molasses from the water surface, and suction skimmers vacuum up the molasses. 

3 - Work with scientists and local fishermen and create teams to save the living marine life in the harbor where the spill occured and relocate them asap.

4 - Use biological agents to hasten biodegradation of molasses. The UDSGP reports that most of  the components of spills along shorelines can be broken down using bacteria and  other microorganisms. These biological agents break molasses into harmless  substances, like fatty acids and carbon dioxide. Fertilizing nutrients  such as nitrogen and phosphorous stimulate the growth of these microorganisms to  speed up the biodegradation process, and they are mostly used in sensitive areas  such as shorelines, marshes and wetlands. According to the EPA, clean up teams use species of bacteria that do not naturally exist in areas where spills occur  to increase the population of microorganisms that can biodegrade the molasses. Please consult with Hawaiis local EPA for support.

5 - Use physical methods to clean up the molasses that has been washed to shorelines.  According to the EPA, pressure washing, raking and bulldozing can be used to  clean up a molasses spill from shorelines. It's also necessary to keep wildlife away from  spill areas, so clean up teams use devices like helium-filled balloons and  floating dummies, to scare away animals.

6 - Contract Marine Scientists with a specialty in Marine Eco Systems and reefs for 10 years to help restore the Hawaii marine life eco-system that has been damaged by the Matson Navigation molasses spill and to prevent another occurence in the future. Including, hiring and utilizing local fishermen and providing grants to fish breeders to replenish the native marine life that were destroyed by your molasses pipeline spill and to help provide for the livelyhood of the local fishing communities whose income has been destroyed.

7 - Shut down your underwater molassess pipeline. Instead, build an environmental, external overhang pipeline (like a hook) to drop/pour the molasses into your tankers rather than push it underneath the ocean floor to prevent this problem in the future. Consult with the Marine Scientists and local Hawaiian Government in partnership with the expertise of 5 of the 22 researchers, whose paper was published April 20, 2010 in the peer-reviewed journal Bioscience, Deepwater Horizon. Although their expertise is preventing oil spills, they have a combined knowledge that Matson will find useful. I would also recommend consulting Environmental Marine Scientists; University of Georgia marine scientist Samantha Joye and Charles "Pete" Peterson, a professor at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who has been deeply involved in the study of Exxon Valdez. Together, working as a team, Matson Navigation can usher in a new era of environmental responsibility and pipelines to prevent any spills like this in the future. Greenpeace and the Surfrider Foundation might even offer you a helping hand in regards to volunteers, if you are kind enough to ask for their assistance.

Matson Navigation has been privileged to be in a business partnership with the Hawaiian islands and their communities for 130 years. We request that the next 130 years include the challenge to 'raise the bar' on Corporate Environmental Responsibility in regards to the Molasses Spill, so that others in your industry can take notice of your leadership and follow by your example.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/12/20454733-sticky-situation-hawaii-molasses