H Vogemann has been handed an $840,000 bill by US authorities for damages caused to a reef off Hawaii by one of its ships.
72,200-dwt bulker MV Vogetrader (built 1996) ran aground on 5 February 2010 as it was transiting Honolulu Harbor.
The impacted site was on the southern edge of the Barber’s Point entrance channel just inside the outer channel marker buoy in roughly 20 to 30 feet of water.
The grounding of the vessel MV Vogetrader, its subsequent movement, and response activities undertaken to remove the vessel and prevent an oil spill caused injuries to coral reef habitat.
The US federal government and the state of Hawaii are said to have reached an agreement with the owner over damages to more than 100,000 coral colonies.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will use $695,657 to restore or protect coral reef habitat and oversee restoration. The remaining funds will reimburse the agency for assessing damage.
Hamburg-based H Vogemann operates a modern fleet of dry bulk carriers with a cargo carrying capacity of about 2mdwt.
In 2005 the 28,400-dwt MV Cape Flattery (built 2004) ran aground off the Hawaiian island of Oahu, the same area as the MV Vogetrader.