Ship master disobeyed rules day of grounding

The captain of the 550-foot bulk cargo vessel Cape Flattery that ran aground Feb. 2, 2005, violated maritime law and his own company’s policies when he tried to enter the Kalaeloa Barbers Point channel without a harbor pilot, according to the ship’s owners. The big ship severely damaged several acres of coral reef at the eastern side of the channel entrance, and efforts to remove the vessel caused further damage as cables and chains ripped up a field of coral heads. State and federal agencies have been working for the past year and a half to repair damage and prevent further injury to the marine life in the area.