A&B Responds to Small Molasses Spill at Kahului Harbor

Port of Kahului. File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

A minor molasses leak of two gallons prompted precautions at Kahului Harbor as authorities worked to address the issue on Sunday afternoon, Alexander & Baldwin confirmed.

The leak occurred on Sunday during the final stages of loading a ship in the harbor, the company said.

“Our emergency response plan was implemented as soon as the leak was detected, and as a result the leak was stopped almost immediately,” said A&B president & Chief Operating Officer Chris Benjamin in a statement provided to Maui Now.

“We are investigating the cause of the leakage, which appears to be a break in a pipeline. While the leak into the harbor was very small, and quickly dissipated, we take all of these incidents seriously, and will not resume our loading until the pipeline has been repaired,” said Benjamin.

The leak comes on the heels of a separate molasses spill at Honolulu Harbor two months ago in which 233,000 gallons of the sticky substance leaked, resulting in marine impacts including polluted water that killed fish in the area.