Page 47: of Marine News Magazine (June 2014)

On June 19, 1991 ofÞ cials with the National Oce- anic and Atmospheric Administration were noti- Þ ed of a 121 foot long Þ shing vessel shipwrecked and hard aground in the coral reef on the Western Terrace of Palmyra Atoll. The wreck of the Taiwanese long line Þ shing vessel HUI FENG #1 lay deep into the reef in 20 feet of water, about one half mile to the Northwest of the open waters of the navigation channel into the sheltered safe harbor of West Lagoon. Lying some 1,000 miles south of Honolulu, Palmyra Atoll is a national monument and wildlife refuge, coop- eratively managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service (US- FWS) and The Nature Conservancy who work together to protect the delicate environments unique to Palmyra. The atoll encompasses some of the last remaining near- pristine reef environment on earth, boasting an intact marine predator-dominated marine ecosystem where over 176 species of hard coral and 418 species of reef Þ sh co- exist and thrive. The slow and insidious destruction being wrought by the HUI FENG #1, and the other wrecks on Palmyra and Kingman Reef, a non-vegetated wildlife ref- uge reef located 35 miles to the northwest of Palmyra, were identiÞ ed and plans were put in place to Þ x the problem. At Palmyra, the problem lay in a native marine organism called corallimorph that was effectively smothering the cor- als surrounding the wreck. At Kingman the problem was not corallimorph, but an invasive form of algae feeding off nutrients released from the dissolving wreckage of a burned Þ shing vessel. In September of 2012 the USFWS initiated the process to contract for removal of the HUI FENG #1, the unnamed Þ shing vessel at Kingman Reef and the re- mains of a modular pontoon barge on Palmyra less than affectionately known as ÒRust IslandÓ. Eventually, Global Diving & Salvage was called upon to address the wrecks. Salvage Teamwork Early in the process, Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. reached out to Curtin Maritime, Inc., a frequent partner in unique and challenging projects. The project at Palmyra and Kingman would prove to be another excellent oppor- tunity to collaborate. Several factors were fundamental in the planning process. Of prime importance was the safety of personnel and equipment. This was followed closely by mitigating the potential of damage to the extremely deli- cate living coral and reef structure, which would require signiÞ cant industrial equipment on location. There was also the risk that the vessels contained unknown quantities of pollutants trapped within the hulls. Given the nearly half mile to open water, mobilizing a large crane or vessel to the HUI FENG was impossible. Surveys, Set Up & Special SituationsDuring the initial survey a ÒchannelÓ through the coral had been identiÞ ed. Viewed from aerial images this chan- nel was invisible and could only be identiÞ ed by swim- mers as the vertical clearance to the coral was as much a limiting factor as was the horizontal clearance to the stony coral heads at the waterÕs surface. Knowing Þ rsthand the constraints of the ÒchannelÓ, a small and transportable work platform was engineered and special shallow draft transport power scows were designed that would allow safe transit between the work sites and open water. To provide a safe and stable work platform capable of working in a wide range of weather and tide conditions a jackup platform formed of Flexiß oats was designed. The Flexiß oats used were 40 feet long and 10 feet wide. When connected together they formed a 40Õ x 20Õ barge. 4 jack-up legs were used to raise the barge clear of the water above the wreck. SALVAGE & RESPONSE SALVAGE for the Greater Good for the Greater Good Preserving pristine Coral Reefs in a remote location is no small task, but also of big importance. Global Diving & Salvage shows how it is done. By Kerry Walsh www.marinelink.com MN 47MN June14 Layout 32-49.indd 47MN June14 Layout 32-49.indd 475/20/2014 10:24:54 AM5/20/2014 10:24:54 AM