Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 9
That's absurd! HSF is a separate company under Lehman & Co.’s control. The “success” of the Westpac Express just made it that much easier for HSF to secure loans from the feds and to raise capital from willing investors (and that much more important for Lehman to get his hands on a toy of his own).
Who said it was just for Hawai‘i? Once again, READ the links, particularly since I quoted the paragraph that addresses this very subject.
And along those lines it’s even more profitable to have a military transport vessel for sale to navies worldwide... with an incidental side business of civilian transport.
I’m not convinced. IMHO, it’s more likely your “plan B” was actually Plan A all along. The “Superferry™ inter-island ferry service” was just a ruse to get the state to pay for the harbor improvements required to successfully run their demo. Unfortunately for Hawai‘i taxpayers, it looks like it worked like a charm.
More from the article I previously quoted:
Originally posted by joshuatree
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Originally posted by joshuatree
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Originally posted by joshuatree
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Originally posted by joshuatree
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More from the article I previously quoted:
‘The Superferry is strong enough to take Stryker vehicles,’ Lehman told Pacific Business News (PBN) in March 2005. ‘HSF provided the Army with a cost analysis and expects to negotiate a long-term contract,’ PBN reported. On Jan. 7 of this year, HSF carried Hawai’i National Guard heavy equipment to Maui for removal of storm debris.
While providing passenger and cargo service between O‘ahu and Maui, the Superferry’s owners are able to conduct sea trials aimed at demonstrating the high-speed craft’s endurance and performance in rough open seas and littoral waters. Its need to quickly accrue time in the water could explain why HSF plans to offer a second daily run to Maui, even though it’s presently carrying only a third of the passenger load it projected, according to documents filed with the state Public Utilities Commission.
While using Hawaiian waters as a proving ground, HSF has been able to develop and test its prototype vessel with little financial risk to investors, thanks to a federally guaranteed loan of $143 million that covers much of the $190 million cost to build the two fast ferries, and $40 million in state support for related harbor projects.
[...]
The procurement environment is indeed heating up. Over the next five years, the Navy plans to buy eight JHSV, which also will be used by the Army and Marine Corps.
While providing passenger and cargo service between O‘ahu and Maui, the Superferry’s owners are able to conduct sea trials aimed at demonstrating the high-speed craft’s endurance and performance in rough open seas and littoral waters. Its need to quickly accrue time in the water could explain why HSF plans to offer a second daily run to Maui, even though it’s presently carrying only a third of the passenger load it projected, according to documents filed with the state Public Utilities Commission.
While using Hawaiian waters as a proving ground, HSF has been able to develop and test its prototype vessel with little financial risk to investors, thanks to a federally guaranteed loan of $143 million that covers much of the $190 million cost to build the two fast ferries, and $40 million in state support for related harbor projects.
[...]
The procurement environment is indeed heating up. Over the next five years, the Navy plans to buy eight JHSV, which also will be used by the Army and Marine Corps.
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