A Navy captain who was relieved of command for ‘failures of leadership and oversight’ after the catastrophic fuel leak at the Red Hill facility in November is still working on oil operations at the storage complex, according to the Marine.
Captain Albert “Bert” Hornyak failed to lead as on-scene commander during the leak that contaminated the tap water of thousands of military families, according to United States Pacific Fleet Investigations released last month.
“He exercised poor judgment in deciding that the spill was stable and manageable despite uncertainty about the key elements of the ongoing incident,” the report said.
But Hornyak still works on oil management at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and his jurisdiction still includes Red Hill, according to Naval Supply Systems Command spokesman Richard Spiegel.
Hornyak did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.
When officers are relieved of their duties, they may be reassigned to positions commensurate with their training and experience, Spiegel said in a statement to Civil Beat. In Hornyak’s case, that means working in the new Navy Petroleum Office at Pearl Harbor, a division created to “provide additional support to Red Hill,” among other duties, Spiegel added.
“Hornyak’s current responsibilities involve a wide range of fuel issues, some of which may involve the Red Hill facility,” Spiegel said.
Hornyak was the commander of the Pearl Harbor Fleet Logistics Center when some 20,000 fuel was spat into a tunnel at the World War II storage facility on November 20. The fuel had remained in a fire-fighting drain line – an unplanned PVC pipeline. for fuel – since a previous fuel leak occurred in May.
After a Red Hill worker allegedly crashed into this pipeline with a cart, fuel gushed for 34 hours just 380 feet from the drinking water source. The worker, doused with fuel, had to go to the emergency room for burns and itchy skin, according to the Pacific Fleet investigation.
According to military investigators, Hornyak “was aware of the possibility of a fuel release to the environment” and knew that personnel had been injured, but he did not communicate the seriousness of the situation to senior leaders.
Nevertheless, Hornyak retained his post until April. That’s when another fuel leak occurred at the troubled facility, releasing about 30 to 50 gallons during a maintenance activity, according to the Navy.
Naval Supply Systems Command Rear Admiral Peter Stamatopoulos relieved Hornyak of his duties, citing a “series of leadership and oversight failures”.
According to Spiegel, Hornyak’s reassignment was unrelated to fuel leaks that contaminated drinking water last year.
David Kimo Frankel, an attorney representing the Sierra Club of Hawaii, said it was “disturbing” that someone who was a leader during the disaster was involved in responding to its aftermath.
“You might want the knowledge they have, but they’re probably not the ones making the decisions because their judgment has been shown to be poor,” he said.
Decisions on discipline or “administrative actions” related to the Red Hill disaster will be made by a team led by Admiral Daryl Caudle, the commander of US Fleet Forces Command, Spiegel said.
Navy officials did not specify a timeline for making those decisions, but Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the Pacific Fleet, said these actions could be made public.
Navy chiefs have moved on to new roles
Hornyak is the only military official linked to Red Hill to have been publicly removed from his post. SSeveral other officials who dealt with Red Hill during the crisis left their posts, but the Navy called the changes routine.
Hornyak’s predecessor as FLC Pearl Harbor commander, Captain Trent Kalp, oversaw Red Hill at the time of the May leak and left his post in August.
The Pacific Fleet survey released last month noted several Kalp failures that contributed to the disaster.
Kalp removed military oversight of day-to-day operations at Red Hill just months before the May leak. The report says the move “significantly” increased the risk at the facility, which routinely holds around 100 million gallons of fuel.
Kalp failed to “identify, mitigate, or directly address these risks”, oversaw an “alarming level of procedural non-compliance”, May 6, and exhibited a general lack of critical thinking and leadership, according to the Pacific Fleet survey.
Kalp currently works for Commander Pacific Fleet at his headquarters in Hawaii, according to the Navy.
During change of command ceremonyhe was praised for his “outstanding record of achievement.
Rear Adm. Robert Chadwick, who commanded Naval Region Hawaii at the time of the May leak, left his post a month after this leak. After a two-year tenure in Hawaii, he moved to a position in San Diego.
Chadwick first learned of the May leak while watching Hawaii News Now, according to the Pacific Fleet investigation. Days after that fuel release, Chadwick requested an external investigation into the fuel release because he had concerns about the Pearl Harbor Fleet Logistics Center’s ability to conduct an adequate internal investigation, according to the report. the Pacific Fleet.
Rear Admiral Tim Kott, who replaced Chadwick and was in charge at the time of the November leak, retired in June, after only one year of work.
Kott and other key leaders knew there was a lack of exercises related to potential spills at Red Hill, but took no action to address it before the crisis began, according to the Pacific Fleet. further investigation.
The Navy said Kott’s departure had nothing to do with the crisis.
Capt. James “Gordie” Meyer had been the commander of Naval Installations Engineering Systems Command since 2020, meaning he was in his leadership role during the May and November fuel leaks. He was removed from his post in June.
According to the Pacific Fleet investigation, Meyer—along with Kalp—decided not to immediately notify regulators of the May fuel spill. And in November, Meyer and Hornyak were implicated by investigators for a failure to exercise “the sense of urgency, critical thinking, forceful backup, and rapid and effective communication demanded by the gravity of the situation”.
According a press release from the NavyMeyer will remain in Hawaii to lead NAVFAC through Red Hill resupply.
Captain Erik Spitzer, the former commander of Pearl Harbor who sparked public outrage and later apologized for saying drinking water was safe when in fact residents drank fuel , retired in June.
The Navy presented him with a Legion of Merit award for his service.
