Department of Land and Natural Resources

DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR

SUZANNE D. CASE CHAIRPERSON

For Immediate Release:  November 10, 2022

HONOLULU CONTRACTOR PAYS MILLION DOLLAR PLUS FINE FOR CORAL DAMAGE

Healy Tibbitts Builders Takes Full Responsibility

To view video please click on photo or view at this link: https://vimeo.com/549042976

(HONOLULU) – In May 2021, a barge operated by Healy Tibbitts Builders, Inc. was anchored near the entrance to Honolulu Harbor for dredging operations. In the process, the barge’s anchors and cables broke or damaged over 15,000 corals and 140-square yards of live rock.

Today, the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) approved a settlement payment of $1,119,265 to be held in trust for the purpose of coral reef management and restoration on O‘ahu.

BLNR/DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said, “This contribution is significant, as are the actions Healy Tibbitts Builders took immediately after causing the damage. The firm has been cooperative and admitted that its dredging and anchoring operation was in error. It took immediate, emergency steps to restore portions of the damaged area and to mitigate further damage to State resources caused by the primary damage.”

On two separate days, following the initial damage report, divers from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted surveys to determine the extent of the coral and live rock injuries that occurred.

DAR Administrator Brian Neilson told the BLNR, “We were able to create a detailed map of the impact area that allowed for more thorough biological assessments of the damage, which followed, to document the coral and live rock damage.”

Neilson also expressed gratitude to the contractor for taking full responsibility for its actions and ensuring that its emergency restoration work was of the highest quality.

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RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

 

HD video – Honolulu Harbor coral damage assessment (May 13, 2021):

https://vimeo.com/549042976

 

Media Contact:

Dan Dennison

Senior Communications Manager

[email protected]