HONOLULU -- U.S. Navy divers have resumed searching the wreckage of the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru after a day-long pause.

The halt in the search operation was caused by corrosion in the floatation device straps on a spreader assembly, which sits atop the ship. The Navy determined that the corrosion made diving conditions unsafe and replaced the straps.

Diving resumed at 10 a.m. Wednesday, after a roughly 18-hour pause.

Recovery crews have recovered the bodies of eight out of nine missing Ehime Maru crew members.

The Navy earlier this week said that it is beginning the environmental phase of its operation, which includes removing fishing lines and other debris that could endanger marine life, as well as items from the ship itself.