The ship the Alakai is here tied up in Honolulu Harbor. The docks have had upgrades in the three ports it will be servicing in Honolulu, Kauai and Maui. Everything is ready except one thing; a law to allow them to sail. There will be more on that in a minute.
The Hawaii Superferry began taking reservations this summer. They were drug into court and an environmental group got the court to stop them from sailing until an environmental assessment was completed. The problem was the state had previously determined they did not need one, so one was not done.
- The Hawaii Superferry had the first ship built and delivered; the first of its kind.
- Over 200 employees were hired.
- The state spent an estimated $40 Million in port upgrades.
- The public was buying their tickets.
- Local businesses were gearing up for the new service.
- Farmers were making preparations to ship fresh produce between the islands.
So where is this heading? The Superferry may be the most environmentally friendly ship in our waters. It is state of the art. Nothing gets dumped in the ocean. The operators of the SuperFerry have bent over backwards to exceed everything asked of them, yet they have been the focus of environmental and community activist groups, who never seemed to have a problem with the barges or the airlines which are not nearly as environmentally friendly as this new ship. So why have they drawn this attack? Here are some of the opinions I have heard on the radio and from others I have spoken to and read in the media.
- Employees from the other carriers, who feel their jobs may be threatened.
- Residents from the neighbor islands want to limit the number of people visiting their island. (A silly argument, since it brings only a small number compared to the airlines.)
- It would allow car thieves to move cars to other islands. (Another silly argument. If that were true we would have had the same issue with the barge shipping cars)
- Rental car employees feel that locals will not be renting as many cars, if they are allowed to bring their own.
- Management from competitive companies who see them me a tough competitor.
- People are concerned about the movement of invasive species being brought over. (That is a valid concern, not only for the Superferry but for the barge, the airlines, the cruise ships, pleasure boats and the fishing fleet).
- Fear of whale strikes. (Possibly a valid concern. We have had ships traveling between the islands for years, including a ferry system years back that also traveled at high speed without the technology we have today. No whale strikes. So I am not convinced that the SuperFerry poses any real threat here.)
What are the benefits we will see from the Hawaii SuperFerry?
So back to what has held up the Superferry. The State Supreme Court ruled that an environmental assessment is required and kicked it back to the Maui court that on a previous decision said it wasn't. Once back to the Maui judge he then decided the ship could not operate to Maui until the assessment was done. That would take months and would be the end of the Superferry in Hawaii.
In response to the threat of the Superferry leaving our waters, Governor Lingle called the legislature back in session to address this problem. Earlier in the week the legislature passed a new bill allowing the Governor through executive order to allow the ship to sail while the state performs a full environmental impact statement. The bill is now on the Governor's desk with an anticipated signature coming sometime next week. The management of Hawaii Superferry indicated that they can be up and running within 10 to 14 days.
The ship named the Alakai will make the trip from Oahu to Kauai and Oahu to Maui in an estimated 4 hours.
Hawaii SuperFerry website: http://www.hawaiisuperferry.com/
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