Hawaiian ferry launched
Published 9:00 pm Friday, January 19, 2007
HONOLULU – After more than two years of construction, the first Hawaii Superferry was launched Friday from a shipyard in Alabama.
The sleek blue and white ship, with graceful manta rays painted along its sides, will go through a battery of ocean tests before sailing to the islands early this May in advance of the launch of the islands’ first ocean-going service for residents and tourists in July.
The first of two ferries will link Honolulu with Maui and Kauai. A second vessel is planned for 2009 to serve the Big Island. Construction and other costs associated with the two vessels total about $190 million.
“It’s been a glorious week. It’s been a glorious year. It’s been a glorious – in fact – six years,” said John Garibaldi, the company’s Superferry chief executive officer, describing the ferry service’s development from an idea in 2001.
The gleaming 349-foot aluminum passenger and vehicle ferry emerged from its dry dock assembly line at Austal USA’s production facility and floated up the Mobile River, where it will dock until it departs for sea trials. The Superferry is designed to reach a speed of 35 knots between islands.
The vessel’s four decks include two levels for parking, another deck for passengers and a bridge deck reserved for the pilot and crew. The catamaran-type ship can carry up to 866 passengers and 282 cars, or a combination of 28 40-foot trucks and 65 cars.
Several local environmental groups as well as four Neighbor Island state senators have recently called for an environmental review of the project. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration had determined an environmental review was not necessary.
Garibaldi didn’t voice any concerns Friday that environmental issues could delay the project. He said the company has been working with local communities since 2004 and made changes in response to their concerns, such as developing procedures to stop the spread of invasive species from island to island.
The ferries also have a whale avoidance plan that includes changing routes during the humpback migration season and posting whale lookouts on its ships, he said.
Despite the fare wars between interisland air carriers, which have sent one-way ticket prices as low as $19, Garibaldi did not propose any change to its fare structure set in 2004.
Ferry fares listed on the company’s Web site range from $42 to $70 for adults and up to $110 to travel with a van at peak hours. Surfboards and canoes are free when attached to vehicle racks.
