Majuro Nitijela Member Stephen Philip raised concern about the threat that vessels grounded or otherwise disabled in Majuro lagoon present to the people and environment of the capital.
He sent an email in late September to Transportation Minister Hilton Kendall and all members of the Majuro Nitijela delegation, including Speaker Brenson Wase, titled “sea vessels aground.” This was before the big storm blew in Monday afternoon and caused additional vessels to run aground.
He identified six vessels “all run aground” on the eastern lagoon shoreline of Majuro “due to abnormal westerly wind and surf for the past (months) and still ongoing weather system.”
He said three were aground off Riwut Corner and Lanai, one in Uliga near Brothers Auto Shop, and two submerged vessels in front of Marshall Islands High School.
He said he’s seen no action to address this problem.
“Sadly (the government was) able to tow in the disabled MV Meram recently.” But he said he didn’t see the reason to pay $16,000 a day to two that disabled vessel versus the need to protect Majuro Atoll. He used the phrase, Mejro-Mejen-Armij, which defines Majuro as the place people see first.
He said these vessels “pose navigational safety risks (to) civilian trespassers, risk to environmentally friendly ecosystem” and marine life that is a source of food for Majuro people. “Last but not least, (the vessels are a) risk to sustainable beautification of the Nation’s Capitol.”
He urged authorities to remove the vessels from Majuro’s lagoon and sink them away from Majuro. “Unfortunately, the ones at MIHS had been ignored despite our collective responsibility as a government,” he added.
Meanwhile, in mid-July, the RMI EPA issued an Incident Report to Cabinet on vessels that had run aground because of rough waves and winds earlier that month.
The report pointed out five “vessel groundings with suspected oil/fuel release.”
The report noted that while the vessel groundings in July were triggered by bad weather, “RMI EPA assesses that this was ultimately a matter of when, not if. One important fact remains, all the vessels were/are in neglected condition; left unmaintained and unsecured in the lagoon for an extended period prior to this incident, with no active mooring management or contingency plan on the part of their owners.
“The vessels documented in this (July) incident report are not isolated cases,” EPA said. “They reflect a broader and worsening trend of neglected, derelict vessels accumulating throughout Majuro Lagoon, several of which have deteriorated to the point of near-total structural failure…Action on vessel accountability and disposal is needed now, before further groundings, pollution incidents, or public safety hazards occur.”