Why raise Ehime Maru?
It has been more than six months since the tragic collision of the Ehime Maru, a Japanese fisheries training vessel, with a U.S. nuclear submarine. The bodies of nine people remain on board, including four 17-year-old high school boys. The delay was due to the expense involved and concern about hazards to the environment. On June 15, the Navy released its environmental assessments. According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, to minimize the impact of the proposed $40 million salvage operation on local marine life, the Navy will ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service to station observers on skimmer vessels to identify any birds, mammals, or sea turtles that may come in contact with the diesel fuel or lubricating oil from a spill. In addition, Rockwater 2, a construction-support vessel owned by Halliburton Engineering and Construction Company, the sub constructor for this salvage operation, will move the Ehime Maru to a spot just a mile south
