Hawaii Superferry ending passenger service
The Hawaii Superferry, which has shuttled passengers and cars between Hawaii’s Oahu and Maui islands for more than a year, is getting out of the business and will make its final run later today, Tom Fargo, its president and chief executive, said this morning.
The service’s future had been up in the air after Hawaii’s Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a law that allowed the vessel to operate pending an environmental review was unconstitutional. The ruling was a victory for activists who said the high-speed catamaran would injure whales and damage the islands’ ecology. The company said it had taken steps to mitigate any harm.
Fargo was flying to Maui this morning to talk to employees and catch the final ferry back to Honolulu, which will depart at about 11 a.m. local time, company spokeswoman Lori Abe said. More than 200 employees and contractors will lose their jobs.
What will happen to the service’s $85-million, 349-foot-long catamaran, named Alakai, is unclear. In a news release today, Fargo said “We are going to have to go out and find other employment for Alakai, for now.” He seemed to leave the door open to resuming Hawaii service, depending on “conditions” that he did not specify.
The Hawaii Superferry has ridden a stormy sea of legal, environmental and mechanical problems since its maiden voyage in August 2007. Protests and court rulings sidelined it for months; it was also docked for repairs for a while. Nevertheless, it managed to carry more than 250,000 passengers between the islands, providing a leisurely and often cost-competitive alternative to flying.
The company said it is refunding money for unused bookings. Customers were being told to call (877) 443-3779 for service or visit the company’s website, which warned that phone lines are extremely busy. It also said it is making arrangements with Hawaiian Airlines and Mokulele Airlines to accommodate passengers.
– Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor
[Photo: Hawaii Superferry during a visit to the Los Angeles area; by Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times]
Related:
Photo gallery of Hawaii Superferry
33 Comments on “Hawaii Superferry ending passenger service”
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March 19th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
This just seems to be counter-productive. I’m sure both sides could have found a common ground to resolve the environmental concerns. Choosing between the Ferry and a flight is like choosing between my book, The Ring of Knowledge, and something from the Harry Potter series. The establishment vs. the upstart. Given a chance, the ferry service would have proven to be successful
March 19th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
This is a perfect example of environmental whackos run amok.
This is a vital service for the islands and the Sierra Club should be ashamed… I hope they NEVER get another donation and I hope people will write to them to tell them how obstructionist they have become.
Shakespeare was right. Look up his comments on lawyers.
March 19th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Good news! Anyone who doesn’t know about the Defense Dept. ties should be aware, look around at what our government is trying to sneak by us.
March 19th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Congrads activists!! 200 more lost jobs just because of possible dangers to whales etc.
March 19th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Ridiculous. The cheapest, most environmentally sound way between two nearby islands is by boat. Think of all the carbon a good inter-island ferry system would save over increased air travel. I don’t know about the “Harm to whales” claims, but choices are going to have to be made to mitigate climate change. Yes, they jumped the gun on starting the service, but the system would be a good thing in the long run.
March 19th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Why couldn’t they simply slow down the ferry? It would mitigate the whale collision potential and save fuel. It seems like the owner is trying to strong arm the government here with the threat to take his toys and go home.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
We do something right, put together a well engineered service second to none in the World & use it for the people. Then the Evil Serpent called Sierra Club raises it’s UGLY HEAD & we get a few over zealous ambitious attorneys involved and all the effort and innovation is discarded. We really need the service and the jobs.
People wake up don’t stand for this. Put this ferry back into service. We don’t have to do stupid because of the environmental whackos.
Where are all of these damaged whales, Bottom line is W.G.A.S.???
March 19th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
This ferry was horrendous, and a terrible polluter, to boot. The company was scandalous. Good riddance.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Hmm … Yeah, a boat is more environmentally friendly than jet transport. And a slightly slower boat than the SuperFerry would be more environmentally sound, too.
And a ferry that carried only people and not autos and recreational vehicles contaminated with island specific invasive plant seeds would be even more environmentally friendly! But, it’s the jobs! I know.
Look, folks, the SuperFerry isn’t so super. The natural environment of the individual islands are. If you need to drive your RV on the beach, try Pismo.
Cheers.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Everyone should check their facts before they get upset about the court ruling. The superferry had ties to the military and may have been more about testing a prototype ship than providing ferry service. Also, shouldn’t the people have a say in what goes on or do people not matter anymore? Corporate america has pulled the strings of government for too long and the owners of the superferry used the government to operate their ferry with no regard for people who want to enjoy the ocean nor for the animals who live there. Newcomers should show a little respect instead of arrogance. This is a great victory!
March 19th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Well, I am glad the whales are happy. I however will not be able to fly to Kauai, rent a car, and transport my goods any longer due to the cost. The ferry was my only hope to conduct business on the out islands but that is not a priority for Hawaii at this time. And next time superferry, wait for the darn impact study!
March 19th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Animals are more important than people and they need to be protected at any cost!
Who cares about the needs of the island residents who make a living sharing their native culture.
Do they really need a cheaper way to visit a doctor, gather with family, or move their stuff around?
No, they don’t. They’ve lived with relative isolation, inconvenience, and small opportunities for the last 50 years. There is no good reason to improve their standard of living one bit. Heck they’re used to being repressed by small groups of white people who think they know better, why break the pattern now.
Even if unemployment is rising, the economy is in a crisis, and locals need a cheap travel alternative to dirty fuel burning commercial airlines that dump 100% of their exhaust into the environment, we shouldn’t give in the needs of the many who don’t know any better.
Professional people, highly educated people who are sophisticated in their thinking, reading, and writing, should decide for the rest of us. They know better than anybody else what the consequences of change are and how to protect natives from themselves.
For god’s sake, just let those Ginger’s on surfboards speak for the rest of us! They really know what they stand for.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:22 am
I was planning to go holiday trip by Hawaii Superferry, Now i need to change the plan.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Anyone on the mainland wanting to understand the background on this story might read the book at http://www.superferrychronicles.com/
In the meantime, A - L - O - H - A to the Superferry.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Kamaka, I don’t have an opinion on Superferry, but I have to say, your post is the funniest I’ve read in a long time. Can they help it if they’re right? Consumed by the holy fire of their own righteousness, they go forth to slay the wicked with the sword of their indignation. And it’s not just because they’re white and other people aren’t. They lord it over the other white people, too, over here.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Hey why don’t they just swim?
March 20th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Another idiotic movement puts the nail in the coffin to affordable and pleasurable inter island travel. Having ridden the superferry last summer I can tell you that I would have not flown to my destination. You environmentalists have won…Wait until the repercussions of a worsening economy and subsequent pullback on tourism starts to affect you and your families. Maybe then you will learn to live in the real world and get along. You idiots.
March 20th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
If there’s profit to be made, the boat will be back. All they have to do is wait for an environmental review, which they may pass without issue. There’s something else going on here. Maybe just an anti-environmentalist stunt or low earnings using this issue as a cover.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
A victory for the rule of law!
Gov. Lingle screwed it up by granting an illegal exemption from environmental laws, certain to enrage environmental group.
Then, when the Supreme Court rebuked her, she called a special session of the legislature to pass an after-the-fact law exempting the Superferry from environmental law. This has now been properly struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.
All this could have been avoided if she followed the law.
David slays Goliath! A victory for the rule of law over governmental tyranny.
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
If the Ferry operators and the Gov had just done the legal environmental impact study they might have been able to operate the Maui leg but they didn;t want to do the study,which they can still do. Instead they used the Gov’s clout to go aroud the law,probably bought off some legislatorsmwhich isn;t hard to do in HI,the construction industry ha sdone it for years.The fact of the matter is that the last interisland passneger boats,hydrofoils, did disrupt the whale habitat not just a few cruising whales,but a major zone for pacific to mate and raise young,the impact on the entire ocean,with all it’s interdependent speices woudl be impacted.
I too would love to sail interisland,I hink it’s too bad the ferry operators didn;t have respect for otehr concerns and find a balanced approach. They could have run smaller boats at slower speeds,but they wanted to use this huge very fast machine. BTW it was local environmentalists not teh Sierra Club that oppose this,even if SC supported,it’s extremely difficult for outsiders to influence Hawaii,the people are very defensive about it,and that’s a huge art of the opposition to the ferry.The climate is so wonderful that everyone spends lot’s of time outside ,and in the Ocean. Mainstream foks care a lot about not destroying the environment. More so than anywhere else in the US . I wish they ferry people would fid a rational balance that respects the other life forms inc. local humans .
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
If you think local people are oppressed by white people I invite you to take a look at what teh ,mostly local legislature has done for the last 50 years.Hawaii is as corrupt as any 3rd world country,and whiel there are white outsiders ,and insiders involved, local people are still listenig to the shibai of the local politicians. Lingle is white and she’s the one who used her influence to set up the superferry deal to begin with,and teh white owners of that company take most of their profits out of the islands. How much of the 85 million to build it was spent in Hawaii? None right ?
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Someone needs to expose into funding sources for Maui Tommorow and Sierra Club, et. al. I bet you would be surprised at what competitors have contributed to their ’cause’.
Of course, a lot of this are the racists that did not want the Haoli on their island.
March 24th, 2009 at 12:30 am
I am sorry you did not use my comments, you may only look inward but you are being watched by many outside your Islands.
March 24th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Laka: You are sadly mistaken when you say that “it is difficult for outsiders to influence Hawaii”. Are you kidding me? All one needs to do here is look around our islands. While we are a diverse culture now, there has always been a level of self-preservation within our Hawaiian culture. However, I do not impart the racist comments you make in your arguments while dismissing the fact that it has been the choice of the voters in Hawaii, Hawaiians and non-Hawaiian alike, who have put the people we have in office. If there’s any finger-pointing going on, try taking a look at yourself first before finding fault in others.
The Superferry’s long term financial impact would’ve far outweighed the initial costs it took to get the project running. And while I agree that there could have been better ways to have implemented this effort from its inception, environmentalists made clear that impact study or not, they would find ways to prevent the Superferry from operating in our waters, period.
I do hope this battle continues and that the Superferry returns in full operation. Our waterways are conducive enough to support interisland water travel, and God forbid the Molokai-Oahu Canoe races don’t fall prey to these radical environMENTAL groups.
March 24th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
I was planning to go holiday trip with my friends by Hawaii Superferry, but Now i need to change my plan. last year we went to summer trip with norfolkine.com ferries its very comfortable..!
March 25th, 2009 at 12:54 am
It’s a freaking boat, for crying out loud. I see plenty of them out there every day. They certainly don’t seem to be hurting anything. Why don’t you babies grow up and worry about something that matters?
April 26th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
What is the largest percentage race on the Island. Japanese. What country and people hunt and kill more whales in the world? Japan.
It would seem to me that the environmentalist might want to direct attention to the slaughter of whales by the Japanese and less about the possibility of the death of those by a single ferry.
This is wrong. The Super Ferry was great benefit to everyone. What do think would have happened to the chunnel if nutty environmentalists with imaginary problems had one the day?
June 8th, 2009 at 4:01 am
Well. I got a refund check from Hawaii Super Ferry…
Guess what!?
IT BOUNCED!!!
WTF, over?
June 12th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I just found out that my Superferry refund check bounced too! Now I have to pay the place where I cashed the check back the amount of the check + the $25 fine. I already used the $$ for our ‘replacement’ vacation since we couldn’t use the Superferry to get to Maui.
Is there any way to get ahold of them about the refunds????
June 13th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
well i was there protesting. You have no idea why we were there protesting u dont understand that kauai is a unique island with a unique set of circumstances. we have a two lane highway that does not go all around our island. we have a 4 story height limit.; We have limited housing. it is very expensive here. but our natural rescources are exploited by other local people mostly from oahu who right now come were, take our delicacies and try to go back to oahu with them. this is our livlihoods. oahu is a great snake. we dont want their crime, drugs, and prostitution on our island. we cannot take any more cars here either. we have no more room. our beaches are not here for the 50 thousand homeless on oahu. the boat would have let criminals from oahu come here, commit crimes and jump back on a boat and go to oahu. u cant do that on a plane. if u want to know more there is a book published about our story at boarders called the Hawaii Superferry debacle. it was written by koohan paik u can google it and yes i am in the book as are all of us who were pivotal to the movement thyat stopped the ferry. The sierra club had nothing to do with it for me personally i was protecting my home, my property and my children by not giving oahu crime elements free reign on my island thank you very much.read it and get a clue thank you and mahalo
June 18th, 2009 at 2:37 am
yeah chris..I agree!!!!!!!
July 5th, 2009 at 10:16 am
@leilani: ok, stay in the stone ages with you and your family! Changes is progress. If the superferry are indeed hurting the enviroment, then we need to fix it. I just watch the special on how they build the thing and then I did some goggling and realize you tree hugger shut it down. In a few hundred years when meteor hit the earth and kill all the animals I hope you stay there and hug them!
August 9th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Just a quick question…..
I had a booking for November this year 2009 and i only found out that it was not operating from a hotel i tried to book 2 months later. When i went on the site and they said that i have been refunded the money, i checked my account for the next 3 months and…..NOTHING. They even said that an email confirmation of reciept will be sent once refunded…NEVER recieved the email….Dont expect your money back!!!!!!