While the Hawaii Superferry’s start date has been delayed by as much as a month, preparations for the vessel’s arrival at Nawiliwili Harbor are right on schedule. Contractor Healy Tibbits Builders Inc. delivered and installed a ramp built specifically for
While the Hawaii Superferry’s start date has been delayed by as much as a month, preparations for the vessel’s arrival at Nawiliwili Harbor are right on schedule.
Contractor Healy Tibbits Builders Inc. delivered and installed a ramp built specifically for the inter-island ferry late last month, according to Kaua‘i District Manager Robert Crowell of the Department of Transportation’s Harbors Division.
“The ramp came off the barge and was rolled into position,” Crowell said.
Unlike Kaua‘i, the Maui and O‘ahu harbors require floating ramps or barges to load and unload vehicles, state Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa said.
Looking forward, Hawaii Superferry will be responsible for completing two key components at the harbor in the coming months: the vehicle staging and passenger waiting areas. According to Crowell, a former storage area for Matson containers will serve as the vehicle waiting area.
“The Superferry is in charge of making sure that their operations run the way they want them to,” he said of tasks from here on out.
Remaining on the company’s to-do list are striping lanes for vehicle ingress and egress as well as the additions of a restroom facility, vehicle inspection station and gangways for walk-on passengers, said Terry O’Halloran, director of business development for Hawaii Superferry.
On the Superferry’s postponed arrival date, O’Halloran said the delay is not a bad thing for the company.
He emphasized Monday that the additional time ensures that the vessel will be fully vetted before it leaves for Hawai‘i.
“This isn’t a set-back at all,” he said. “From our perspective at the Hawaii Superferry, we were fine knowing that the builder and the Coast Guard were being very thorough.”
The Superferry is still undergoing tests in Alabama by its builder, Austal USA, having already received Coast Guard approval.
O’Halloran said there were a few steps that took longer than expected, including the Coast Guard inspection, but added that there was “nothing specific” that led to the delay.
He did not say what remains to be done on the Mainland.
When ready, the vessel will sail to California via the Panama Canal, fuel on the West Coast and continue on to Hawai‘i. O’Halloran estimated that the voyage will take between 15 and 17 days.
Upon arrival, Superferry staff will work with the Coast Guard in Hawai‘i as well as staff to prepare for service. There will likely be multiple test runs between its three stops — Kaua‘i, O‘ahu and Maui — before commercial voyages begin.
O’Halloran could not pin down a start date but said the Superferry would be running by the end of the summer. As soon as the vessel leaves Alabama, the public will be able to track its progress online at www.superferry.com.
Once service begins, the ferry is scheduled to arrive at Nawiliwili at 6 p.m. Sundays through Fridays and depart at 7 p.m. Ishikawa said the state determined through a traffic study of the area that congestion was not a concern.
“Because it is not heavily trafficked like the other harbors we really don’t see a traffic backup,” Ishikawa said.
In the meantime, Hawaii Superferry continues to hire for its 200 staff positions.
“We’re in a real start-up mode,” O’Halloran said.
Christened the “Alakai,” the vessel will contain three food and beverage areas, new-release movies on flat screen televisions, a play area for children, couches and windows all around, O’Halloran said. It is the first high-speed ferry of its kind built by Austal’s U.S. shipyard.
Prior to ferry service, receptions for the public will be held on Kaua‘i, Maui and O‘ahu. Dates have not yet been scheduled.
• Blake Jones, business writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or bjones@kauaipubco.com.
