Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

[joshuatree]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

So it appears the ferry has postponed the 2nd daily trip to Maui. Can't help but say the one step forward, two steps back isn't helping their business.

[tutusue]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

I have an outer island friend who has put together a Super Ferry trip for two of her outer island friends, early Feb. They all have their airline tickets to fly to Honolulu, spend the night then take the afternoon SF to Maui where 2 friends live. My friend would then fly from Maui back to the BI. Of course, that's changed now and they're canceling their trips and trying to get their airfares refunded. None are interested in the SF's early departure.

[oceanpacific]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

One of the Superferry execs told me last week that the protests at Maui have pretty much died out.

So, where were the protesters when the National Guard used the Superferry to "mobilize" on their "aina?"

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

So, where were the protesters when the National Guard used the Superferry to "mobilize" on their "aina?"

Busy working their two jobs to stay alive.
And most of the heavy work had already been done in the weeks before their arrival by the Maui NG contingent.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

Can't help but say the one step forward, two steps back isn't helping their business.

Yeah, so far they don't seem to be someone I'd want to depend on. I suppose they are trying not to anger Maui too much, but the issues raised seem like so much crying.

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

I dunno if the concerns of the Neighbor Island folks are so manini. This is an excerpt of notes taken by an observer at the last Superferry Task Force meeting (held last week).

Hawaii Superferry Oversight Task Force Meeting 1/10/08

[...] Dept of Ag rep Domingo Cravalho reported on their monitoring. Since DOA got no additional funds, they had to stagger schedules of staff to do the early morning monitoring on Oahu. They also did trainings with HSF staff on several islands. They have a hotline to report invasive species: 643-7378 (643-PEST). He handed out a powerpoint and photos.

DOA monitored 15 round trips O'ahu to Maui:
O'ahu to Maui leg:
2813 passangers
901 vehicles
14 instances - 39 dead bees (no mites detected)
6 instances of seeds
1 instance - 50 orchids without certification
1 case leaf litter
1 case fishing nets

Maui to Oahu leg:
2440 passangers
736 vehicles
9 instances - 67 bees (no mites detected)
7 cases of seeds
2 cases of uncertified plants (lavender and coconut)
5 instances - 9 vehicles with excessive mud
2 instances - 2 vehicles with sand and soil

DOCARE (DLNR) - Randy Awo reported that on 1/10/08, 2 cars intercepted with opihi, (One car had 5 bags of opihi hidden in a cooler under some other stuff.). 1 car with ogo.....Awo suggested that all govt enforcement officers be given power to do random searches/inspections of passengers and cars. OTF voted to recommend legislation that grants enforcement including DOCARE, DOA, etc to do searches and increase funding for these programs. Garibaldi and OHalloran both looked at each other and made funny faces....

OHalloran reported that from 12/13/07 to 1/6/08 HSF made 21 RT Oahu to Maui.
Oahu to Maui leg averaged 167 passengers and 53 vehicles.
Maui to Oahu leg averaged 157 passengers and 47 vehicles.
They sailed south of Molokai on four out of the 12 voyages in 2008.

Rest of excerpted notes (some discussion apparently will be kept confidential): http://hisuperferry.blogspot.com/

[joshuatree]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

What would the tally be for the same time period for planes or the barges or the cargo ships? If we can get those numbers, then we have some comparison. Otherwise, this doesn't tell us anything about manini or not.

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

What would the tally be for the same time period for planes or the barges or the cargo ships? If we can get those numbers, then we have some comparison. Otherwise, this doesn't tell us anything about manini or not.

I dunno what you're asking. But here's the daily sailing schedule for Kahului Harbor: http://hawaii.gov/dot/harbors/maui/mashipschedule.pdf. As for the airports, this might help: http://hawaii.gov/dot/airports/publi...cysmallone.pdf

I don't know where you can find comparables, because the State apparently doesn't think having the data readily available is a requirement, and the Division of Airports seems to be purging its archives.

The point of the Steering Committee Report is that some of the fears that the protestors were expressing (like the 'opihi, limu, fishing nets, dirty cars, etc.) are in fact happening, even though HSF on its website clearly specifies what can and cannot be brought aboard the boat and the condition of the vehicles it transports. And although the instances of cars caught with 'opihi and limu is small, you know it's these kinds of incidents that paint ALL people on the boat in a negative light.

[joshuatree]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

I'm asking for the numbers on the same observed incidences for the planes, barges, or cargo ships in that same time frame. Otherwise, there's no real comparison to define what's manini or not.

We all know the same stuff gets through by the other modes of transport, so is the recorded numbers a bad thing or a reflection that the ferry is catching and filtering out the banned items?

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

I'm asking for the numbers on the same observed incidences for the planes, barges, or cargo ships in that same time frame. Otherwise, there's no real comparison to define what's manini or not.

We all know the same stuff gets through by the other modes of transport, so is the recorded numbers a bad thing or a reflection that the ferry is catching and filtering out the banned items?

It's going to be hard to find that information because the DoA and DLNR haven't (until the HSF fiasco) really been doing much enforcement because they are short staffed. I believe there is a bill that is being submitted to the Legislature this session by one of the Maui representatives to get more funding for more DLNR agents and to give them and all other State inspectors the right to inspect and open all cargo.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

It's going to be hard to find that information because the DoA and DLNR haven't (until the HSF fiasco) really been doing much enforcement because they are short staffed.

Well, there you go. Seems like once again HSF is getting singled out. If you're going to do inspections, do it across the board because the bad guys will just go where the enforcement isn't.

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

Well, there you go. Seems like once again HSF is getting singled out. If you're going to do inspections, do it across the board because the bad guys will just go where the enforcement isn't.

That will change if some of the Maui contingent to the Legislature actually introduce the bills they had on their "wish list". One of them was to increase funding to hire more DLNR agents and another was to give the DLNR and DoA agents the authority to inspect all cargo coming aboard planes, commercial boats and barges.

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

The draft of the 2030 Master Plan for Kahului Commercial Harbor has now been released by the OEQC (http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20...ter%20Plan.pdf). The alternative chosen by the DOT is the one that will create a brand new pier on the west breakwater. There will be more protests (beginning on Jan. 23) by surfers, paddlers and fishermen over the location of this new pier because it will destroy the surf breaks within the harbor and potentially eliminate the canoe course and restrict access to the small boat ramp by fishermen.

Construction of the new pier is estimated to cost more than THREE HUNDRED MILLION dollars to provide facilities for HSF and NCL.

[joshuatree]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

The draft of the 2030 Master Plan for Kahului Commercial Harbor has now been released by the OEQC (http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20...ter%20Plan.pdf). The alternative chosen by the DOT is the one that will create a brand new pier on the west breakwater. There will be more protests (beginning on Jan. 23) by surfers, paddlers and fishermen over the location of this new pier because it will destroy the surf breaks within the harbor and potentially eliminate the canoe course and restrict access to the small boat ramp by fishermen.

Construction of the new pier is estimated to cost more than THREE HUNDRED MILLION dollars to provide facilities for HSF and NCL.

And what is your position on this plan? Yay or ney?

Seems like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. Now that there is a plan to provide adequate facilities for marine pax operations (NCL/HSF/whatver else) and to keep cargo separate, people are griping over that too. But when the state decided to take shortcuts and leave things as they are with a floating barge, people griped.

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

And what is your position on this plan? Yay or ney?

Seems like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. Now that there is a plan to provide adequate facilities for marine pax operations (NCL/HSF/whatver else) and to keep cargo separate, people are griping over that too. But when the state decided to take shortcuts and leave things as they are with a floating barge, people griped.

I'd rather have all cruise passengers disembark on the Lahaina side because the Kahului Harbor area has virtually no tourist amenities (unless you call Maui Mall and Kaahumanu Center "tourist attractions"). Lahaina has all the touristy stuff right there in their harbor, and Princess Lines already moors its ships offshore there and ferries its passengers to Lahaina on smaller skiffs.

Leave Kahului Harbor for cargo only so there's enough room to expand. If they do build a new passenger terminal on the west breakwater, for sure foot passengers on the ferry and cruise ship passengers will need to be ferried from the pier over to Maui Mall or Kaahumanu because both are so far away. At least where NCL and HSF dock today, it's within walking distance of both shopping malls (although for cruise ship passengers it's kind of dangerous because they have to walk along Hobron, which has no sidewalks).

The current DOT Director (Michael Formby) in a backhanded kind of way basically said in the Maui News the other day that until there is a permanent dock for the ferry, there will continue to be problems. Do people realize that now the DOT has hired the services of one of the tugs now stationed in Kahului Harbor to keep the barge stable enough so cars can drive off and on the ferry? And that renting the tug costs anywhere from $1,000-2,000 an hour? (They need the tug to push the barge against the pier as long as the ferry is docked). Another added unexpected expense.