Palau harbor cleared of typhoon wrecks and 1,500 gallons of oil

A month-long operation to clear typhoon-wrecked boats and spilled oil from a Palau harbor has been completed, in one of the local projects of the United States Navy-led Pacific Partnership 2026. The work took place in a country where tourism is the main economic engine and visitors are required to sign a conservation pledge.

Key facts

• Three derelict fishing vessels were removed from a harbor in Koror state, Palau.
• Workers siphoned off 1,500 gallons of oil and other pollutants.
• U.S. Navy divers and the 7th Fleet's deployed salvage force started the month-long project in late August.
• The wrecks dated back to Typhoon Molave in October 2020.
• Commercial tugs towed the vessels out to sea to be used as artificial reefs.

What was removed from the water?

The three fishing vessels broke loose and scattered across a harbor in Koror state when Typhoon Molave struck in October 2020. The ships and the oil and other pollutants they released had spoiled the ocean there for years, according to the operation's organisers.

U.S. Navy divers and the 7th Fleet's deployed salvage force began the removal in late August. They worked alongside Palauan bodies including the Department of Conservation and Law Enforcement, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Industries, the Environmental Quality Protection Board and the Koror government. Commercial tugs then hauled the vessels out to sea for use as artificial reefs.

Jennifer Anson, Palau's national security coordinator, praised the U.S. Navy effort to "protect and preserve Palau's ocean and marine environment for generations to come".

Why does this matter for visitors?

Tourism is described as Palau's main economic engine, and the sector has helped push the country to second place for per capita gross domestic product among Pacific nations, according to the Lowy Institute, an Australia-based think tank.

Travellers should note that visitors to Palau must sign a conservation pledge intended to help preserve the archipelago's waters, jungles and traditional culture. No changes to that pledge or to any entry or visa rules were announced as part of the clean-up.

What else did Pacific Partnership 2026 do?

The 2026 edition of Pacific Partnership marked the mission's 20th year. It began in June in Vietnam and ended in September in the Philippines, with more than 200 personnel carrying out medical exchanges, engineering projects, disaster preparedness work and community outreach in Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

Defence personnel from nine nations took part, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Other activities included disaster management training in Dili, Timor-Leste, led by the armed forces of Canada, Germany and New Zealand; medical screenings and training in Tacloban City, the Philippines, by Japan Self-Defense Forces officers; and staging personnel and equipment aboard a Royal Australian Navy amphibious ship.

The mission concluded in the Philippines in September. The source gives no details of any further clean-up work planned in Palau.