A new tuna processing plant in the Marshall Islands is facing a more than US$500,000 over a damaged sewage pipe near the soon-to-open facility.
Scheduled to open at the end of last year, the tuna plant managed by Pan Pacific Foods, a subsidiary of Shanghai Deep Sea Fisheries Company, has faced a series of delays.
The company was planning use salt water close to shore and filter it through its fresh water making units for its fish processing operations.
But underwater surveys by both Pan Pacific Foods and Majuro Water and Sewer Company show the damaged sewage outfall pipe is clogged with rocks and raw sewage is now spewing out close to shore.
The plant general manager, Don Xu, says a study shows that e. coli pollution in the ocean water outside the plant is 90 times higher than the legal limit.
He says it will thousands of dollars to find a new water source.
Meanwhile, the Marshall Islands Utility company says the water company is now deciding whether temporary repairs can be made.
