Sugar Dock
Location
LocationChalan Kanoa, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
Details
Opened1930s

The Sugar Dock is a structure at the edge of Chalan Kanoa, Saipan, extending out from the western shore of the island into the Philippine Sea in the western North Pacific Ocean. Aquatic plants, including sea grass, grow around the dock.[1] The dock was built by the South Seas Development Company to support the sugar industry during the Japanese period in the Northern Mariana Islands. American forces captured the dock during the Battle of Saipan and used it for logistics during and after the Asia-Pacific War.

School groups, community organizations, and government agencies conduct cleanups at the dock.[2][3] Trees nearby were lost during Typhoon Soudelor in 2015 and Typhoon Yutu in 2018. The Micronesian Islands Nature Alliance (MINA) host an annual tree planting campaign near the area.[4]

The structure is ruined and crumbling.[5] It poses a safety hazard.[6] The dock pier may be rebuilt by the CNMI government in the 2020s.[7] The dock is a place for boats to tie up and a favorite swimming-hole of islanders.[8] People have drowned near the dock.[9][10][11][12][13] In 2022, two teenagers swept by a current near the Sugar dock, a passerby who happened by an off-duty lifeguard went in after them with some life jackets placed on the dock and was able to rescue them.[14]

In 2014, part of the outer dock collapsed due to costal erosion and waves, and it was partially closed off. Eventually in the 2010s plans were made to repair the dock, taking into account safety, historical, and community considerations.[15] As of 2022, plans were in place to repair the dock in 2023 and also work on a boat ramp.[16] In 2023 a public notice was issued about plans for the Sugar Dock and boat ramp rebuilding plan.[17]

There is a wood Pavilion near the sugar dock, and the area has been the focus on several local community organizations.[18] The sugar dock pavilion, made of wood had been there for over 30 years and was refurbished in 2022.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Saipan lagoon flora: seagrass and macroalgae". Saipan Tribune. July 27, 2005.
  2. ^ "MHS tourism club cleans up beach". Saipan Tribune. September 8, 2005.
  3. ^ "Volunteers sought for Sugar Dock cleanup". Saipan Tribune. January 4, 2016.
  4. ^ "MINA tree planting campaign heads to Sugar Dock". Saipan Tribune. June 26, 2019.
  5. ^ "Sugar Dock rehabilitation eyed". Saipan Tribune. October 10, 2016.
  6. ^ "BECQ, govt agencies collaborate with Legislature on Sugar Dock". Saipan Tribune. October 28, 2016.
  7. ^ "Sugar Dock to be rebuilt". Saipan Tribune. April 20, 2018.
  8. ^ "About time for Sugar Dock but…". Saipan Tribune. April 30, 2018.
  9. ^ "Sugar Dock claims its 5th victim this year". Saipan Tribune. August 17, 2004.
  10. ^ "Man drowns at Sugar Dock". Saipan Tribune. September 18, 2018.
  11. ^ "Boy, 15, drowns at Sugar Dock". Saipan Tribune. June 14, 2017.
  12. ^ "'Swimmer drowned'". Saipan Tribune. August 18, 2004.
  13. ^ "Authorities recover body of teen". Saipan Tribune. June 22, 2004.
  14. ^ Manabat, Bryan (2022-09-05). "Man saves 2 teens from being swept by current". Marianas Variety News & Views. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  15. ^ Correspondent, Iva Maurin | (2022-04-07). "Sugar Dock Rehabilitation moves forward". Saipan Tribune. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  16. ^ Erediano, K.-Andrea Evarose Limol, Emmanuel (2022-04-15). "Sugar Dock reconstruction may be completed in 2023". Marianas Variety News & Views. Retrieved 2023-10-12.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "POH-2019-00074 Sugar Dock Rehabilitation, Saipan, CNMI". Honolulu District. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  18. ^ Reporter, Leigh Gases | (2023-05-15). "Bantalan Sugar Dock Beach 'adopted' by BSDI". Saipan Tribune. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  19. ^ Reporter, Leigh Gases | (2022-04-12). "Sugar Dock pavilion rehab breaks ground". Saipan Tribune. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
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