HI Superferry: The Saga Continues...$350,000 More

This is like a Greek tragedy...or a bad dream that you can't wake up from. Every week it looks more and more like the Fast Ferry Fiasco of British Columbia only a few years ago. Aloha, Brad

Wednesday, January 23, 2008
$350,000 tugboat service needed to support Superferry
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor

"The state Department of Transportation said 10 weeks of daily tugboat service — at a cost of $350,000 — is needed at Kahului Harbor to support Hawaii Superferry operations.
The tug service is necessary to keep a state-owned barge snug against the end of Pier 2C during ocean surges and to provide safe loading and unloading of passengers and vehicles, according to a request filed Friday to exempt the contract from state procurement rules.
Without the assistance, the state could be liable for damage claims by the Superferry of $18,000 a day if it cannot meet its obligation to provide barges with mooring systems to enable ferry operations, the request said..."

For rest of this excellent article see...
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/NEWS01/801230409/1001/NEWS01

Also, comments on the article at Topix:

Comments
Showing posts 1 - 10 of 10

Lose Money
Honolulu, HI
#1
What For We Need SuperFerry!
All these problems should have been addressed before the SuperFerry was rushed into operations. Let's face it, this is a Military prototype vessel and we are paying to do the beta testing. We have lived all this time without a ferry. Why do we need this expensive luxury when money could be better spent elsewhere.

Pule
Paia, Maui
#2
More public kala thrown into the dark anomaly of harbor "improvements" at Kahului Harbor?
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/sat_State.p...

Karen Chun
Makawao, HI
#3
In about 2005, the paddlers and harbor users (cruise ships, Matson, YB, Harbor Pilots, paddlers etc.) got together in what turned out to be a first-time meeting with DOT.(DOT likes to work in a vacuum without pesky users or physical reality)

In addition to finding out that DOT had been telling each user a different thing, the harbor pilots told DOT:

You can't tie up ANYTHING at the end of Pier 2 for any length of time because the surge is so bad.

We TOLD DOT again and again that the barge idea wouldn't work but I think DOT just works on "wishing it were so" by ignoring physical facts.

The pilots also said:

You can't put ANYTHING at the end of Pier 2 or make Pier 2 longer because Kahului Harbor already has too tight of a turning radius and you'll make the harbor unsafe.

Well, guess what? DOT is back again. This time they're going to spend 1/3 of a BILLION dollars to extend Pier 2.

Now that is bad enough since the pilots already said it is unworkable, but get this - not only are they going to restrict the turning basin by lengthening Pier 2, but the are also building a breakwater on the west edge of the turning basin to further restrict the turning radius in Kahului Harbor.

I guess the pencil pushers at DOT who rarely bother to come out and LOOK at what they are designing figured that putting the breakwater for the new cruise ship pier on the edge wouldn't impact the turning basin.

Go LOOK at how the basin is used guys! Yeah, the deep draft vessels stay within the basin (they hope - it's hard with the surge) but the tugs are using the area where they propose to put the breakwater to maneuver and get on the west side of the vessels to push them towards the docks.

How the heck are the tugs going to maneuver if you put a breakwater there?


spraymaster
Wailuku, HI
#4
the state should have begun harbor improvements 20 years ago in all its ports...the harbors and commercial port infrastructures are "third world standards" not pretty....lets blame the democrat controlled legislature...for the last 50 years they have been in control....

Hawaii Born
Kapaa, HI
#5
We are throwing good money after bad!

Luis
Ewa Beach, HI
#6
Lose Money wrote:
What For We Need SuperFerry!
All these problems should have been addressed before the SuperFerry was rushed into operations. Let's face it, this is a Military prototype vessel and we are paying to do the beta testing. We have lived all this time without a ferry. Why do we need this expensive luxury when money could be better spent elsewhere.
Money, whether they buy this tug boat or not, the state is going to take your money anyways. That money is pocket change compare with the waste of millions of dollars in other stuff that we don't get to use. So, even if they don't buy this tug, you will be paying the same taxes or more. "You know you live in Hawaii, when your money is use for everything, except, to what is intended for."

Loke
West Chicago, IL
#7
Big business partnered with government at the cost of the taxpayer & the enviroment!!!
the kau truth


United States
#8
Sustainability, where have you gone? Gone to harbor improvements, superferry(s) to bring everything from everywhere else. Don't grow it or build it here, we bring it to you and let you drink our beer.

neutral
Long Beach, CA
#9
This is typical Hawaii, more band aid approach. I was just in town and could not believe the mess the streets are in with construction at every which way. The infrastructure is broken and every little band aid approach seems to be just the initial payment toward another huge bill down the line. And now this Superferry debacle. It just seems like Hawaii could do a lot better directing their funds at much needed repairs to their infrastructure such as the UH campus to begin with. Wow, what a mess!!!

Mauibrad
Maui, HI
#10
Christie,

That is an excellent article.

Aloha, Brad