LETTERS LETTERS

in a large part due to having delayed purchasing 300-gallon flexible fuel tanks, fuel transfer pump and oil-absorbent boom which I have planned to purchase if/when my team is ever paid for [past environmental salvage work] over a year ago. Quite literally, instead of being able to invest in additional salvage equipment, I have been forced to spend money on litigation to get my insurance to simply open a claim. There is a lot of talk about uninsured vessels, but what is the point of having insurance when insurance companies refuse to begin the claims process in a timely way when salvage and wreck removal responsibilities of their insured have been clearly established?

In addition, a tremendous amount of respect is owed to all those that chose to stick their neck out rendering assistance to the Nakoa yacht. I have seen how, all too often, marine salvage ends up being a thankless job in which one has to drop everything else at a moment's notice while taking on massive liabilities doing work that is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting.

There are ways to skillfully minimize the high risk of personal injury, death, or substantial environmental harm while conducting a marine salvage operation, but as things currently are, all the substantial time and money, along with wear and tear on gear, oftentimes end up being put out in good faith only to have an owner and/or their insurance company refusing to appreciate, let alone pay for, services rendered in a timely manner.

I genuinely hope all relevant facts can come out without the need for multiple years of litigation.

Having not been involved in either the Honolua Bay grounding or the subsequent salvage operations, I do not personally know all the critical facts to have a firm opinion specific to that incident, and I respectfully urge all the talkers and gawkers to read the following article before jumping to conclusions on any marine incident or salvage operation: www.thehumandiver.com/blog/joining-dots-is-easy-if-youknow-the-outcome.

Lawyers can literally litigate for years over a single comma; there should be precision in the wording of any legal changes that may result from this incident. This tragedy was not the fault of any entire group, and I respectfully hope all stakeholders can work together to refine both current laws, enforcement, and other options to find genuine solutions with a minimum of unintended consequences.

I find it untenable that some vessel owners and their insurance companies choose to squander the most critical time during a marine incident attempting to negotiate down their liabilities instead of working toward what is truly