PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — The Navy began the last phase of removing fuel from three pipelines connected to the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility on Monday, but it is going slower than expected, according to a news release. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Navy said in a press conference on Oct. 24 that the fuel would be removed from the pipelines in four phases

  • On Monday, the Navy started the final phase of the process, removing about 7,000 gallons of JP-5 fuel and 29,000 gallons of F-24 fuel

  • All the JP-5 fuel has been pulled out, but F-24 and F-76 will continue to be removed Tuesday and will probably continue into Wednesday

  • The final phase is going slower than the Navy expected due to pump flow rates being less than what was anticipated

The Navy must remove the fuel from the three pipelines to allow them to do necessary repairs and modifications that will make it possible to drain the 20 tanks at Red Hill. The pipelines collectively contain 1 million gallons of fuel, and each pipeline has a different type of fuel stored in it. 

The Navy said in a press conference on Oct. 24 that the fuel would be removed from the pipelines in four phases. The first phase involved training and inspecting the pipelines. Phase two included maintenance actions, valve checks and pressure equalization in the pipelines. The third phase required removing about 90% of the fuel with gravity. The last phase involves removing the residual fuel by pumping it out of the pipelines.

On Monday, the Navy removed approximately 7,000 gallons of JP-5 fuel and 29,000 gallons of F-24 fuel. On Tuesday, the Navy removed 39,840 gallons of F-24 fuel. All the JP-5 and F-24 fuel has been pulled out, but F-76 will continue to be removed Wednesday. 

The Navy expected all the fuel to be removed from the pipelines in six days, but on the sixth day, a spokesperson for the Joint Task Force-Red Hill said in the news release that the “final phase is going slower than expected due to pump flow rates being less than what was anticipated.” 

The Navy said on Monday the fuel removal would probably continue into Wednesday, but on Tuesday the Navy again pushed the date back, saying it would take until Thursday. 

“We are prioritizing safety over speed and will keep the community and media informed,” Rear Admiral John Wade, who is the commander for Joint Task Force-Red Hill, said in a news release.

In total, 963,561 gallons of fuel have been removed from the three pipelines with gravity and pumps. 

The Navy’s plan says it will expunge all the fuel from Red Hill by the end of July 2024. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include the additional delay in the timeline.