Regarding: DOT Letter Sent to Matson Concerning Molasses Pipe

from Vic Angoco, Senior Vice President, Matson Navigation

"We received a letter from the Hawaii Department of Transportation (DOT), dated July 31, 2012, and responded to DOT's requests in that letter. One of the items addressed was a request that Matson inspect the pipe at Pier 51B to determine if molasses was dripping from the line.  Matson responded by dispatching a team to the site.

Matson personnel surveyed the pipe and water in the area identified by DOT. We conducted inspections on two separate days: once during high-tide and on a later day at low-tide. No molasses was observed dripping from the pipe or was present in the surrounding area. The Matson team was in contact with DOT during this period.

Matson takes all requests from government agencies very seriously, and responds accordingly. The DOT letter requested that Matson take action -- and we did. We will continue to cooperate with DOT on the response and on our pipeline operations, including keeping the agency informed as we move forward on the future of our pipeline system.

Right now, we're in the early stages of investigating the pipeline release that occurred last week. As we proceed, we will learn more about what happened and determine what improvements need to be made to the system. Since the incident we have suspended our molasses operations and we will not resume them until we are assured we can do it safely and responsibly."

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PDF: DoT 2012 Letter to Matson 

KITV: DoT, Matson Initially Denied Existence of Letter

AP: Pipe had leak 1 year before Hawaii molasses spill