PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — The Navy successfully vented the first of 14 tanks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and is now working on the next steps in the cleaning process, according to a news release. 

On May 31, the Navy Closure Task Force Red Hill started venting the first tank, Tank 8, with the conditional approval of the Hawaii Department of Health. 

NCTF-RH said they had removed the manway to gain access to Tank 8 on June 13. A marine chemist checked the tank to ensure it was safe to enter and a contractor will begin installing safety equipment and lighting to allow workers to enter Tank 8, according to the Navy. This will prepare the tank so crews can begin sludge removal. 

The Navy is also venting Tank 7, which will continue over the next few weeks. DOH’s conditional approval requires the Navy to limit the number of tanks vented at any time to two. 

Under DOH’s plan, the Navy is also required to install and run nine air quality monitoring stations at the perimeter of the Red Hill facility to monitor volatile organic compound levels.

In March, the Navy took over responsibility for the closure process for Red Hill, after the Joint Task Force-Red Hill drained 104 millions of gallons of fuel from the tanks. 

The final closure process includes four phases: cleaning 16 storage tanks and four surge tanks, removing 28,000 gallons of sludge from the tanks, removing more than 10 miles of pipeline that runs between the Red Hill facility and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and completing environmental remediation around the facility.

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.