Return of Superferry?

[Rob Tucker]

The first trip of the Super Ferry from Oahu to Maui included thieves with trucks. They plundered stone walls on Maui for building materials to sell in Honolulu. There's a good side and a bad side to everything.

[Seeb]

Think it would be great for big Island farmers and anyone wanting to do big shopping. If Maui and kauai don't want it, just leave them out

[macuu222]

If the other islands don't have fire ants and coqui's....they soon would if the Superferry docked on the Big Island.

[Peter Easterling]

Three Oahu guys stole rocks from Maui (actually I'ao River rocks and it was on an early trip though not the first) and confirmed the fear that those Oahu people will overrun us. Rip us off. It was a true blunder and a public relations blow to the Superferry. It never occurred to a single person on any neighbor island that Oahu didn't want you either. But I digress and was being facetious anyway.

That some folks took rocks (including a Mormon bishop...they were getting rocks for an imu for the church) is not a reason to not want the Superferry. There would be obvious benefits to us with negligible downside. However, this is by no means an endorsement of Mufi Hanneman.

Also Mike and Sylvia Kop of Hula Supply Center were caught with smaller river rocks evidently to sell at their store as hula implements. They retailed at their store for $12 and their haul was estimated at $4,800. But they used Young Brothers barge.

Bring back Superferry.

[Bullwinkle]

Brown snakes came to Guam on aircraft, Every December a host of critters arrive in the xmas trees - banana slugs and rat lungworm if I remember right

that new coffee bean threat coming in on green beans destined for a local roaster

how much meth comes over on Hawaiian? should they also pay for rehab? - blaming the transportation systems a bit of a stretch in my opinion

[terracore]

Look at the price of fuel for the superferry then versus now. I don't think the idea will float without a huge subsidy. Hawaii had it's chance for a private operator but missed the boat.

[ericlp]

didn't they sell the superferry to the navy? Or is this a different boat?

Last I heard to repair the docks here on the big island, it was some pretty big $ to do it.

But, if they could bring it back to go to maui, I'd say YES... It's a bummer that they let that opportunity go. Next time if you see those greenpeace idiots the coastguard should do their job and hose em down with water canons.

[loffelkopffl]

who wants all the riff raff from honolulu coming here, i'm glad it went under, i think mufi is just trying to come up with something for his campaign to talk about it's not going to happen

[pahoated]

quote:

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Originally posted by terracore
Look at the price of fuel for the superferry then versus now. I don't think the idea will float without a huge subsidy. Hawaii had it's chance for a private operator but missed the boat.

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Exactly. When Superferry was being planned in 2005, oil was $25 per barrel.
http://www.markt-daten.de/charts/rohstof...lc1-lg.gif

The Superferry had bad timing luck, it became operational just as the price of oil started going up an exponential slope (2007). It shows demand for oil was increasing at an exponential rate, increasing the price at an exponential rate.

The strange aspect of the timeline is consumption was increasing into the Great Recession, then the demand and oil price collapsed in 2009, like the economic system was going full tilt, not knowing it was broken. By then, it was too late and Superferry went into bankruptcy in 2009. The price of oil has rapidly come back since the depths of the Great Recession, and while wavering around $105 per barrel, appears ready to start shooting skyward again.

When Superferry was operational, a one-way van ticket cost $110. Today, that same ticket would be about $440, not really competitive with interisland airlines, although you would be able to carry a van's worth of goods.

The fact is these large ocean going ferries are almost all government subsidized around the planet, and none of them are making money. These ocean going high speed ferries need a lot of crew and maintenance, as well as fuel, making their operating costs very high. The only chance for a revival in Hawaii would be if the state took it on or the feds stepped in with a transportation grant. Nobody in the private sector is going to risk that kind of money on a proven money loser, especially since the first attempt ended in bankruptcy.

"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"

[tada]

Maybe u going be happy to be stuck on the Big Island but I'm going to miss Oahu. When I get off the plane at hnl I walk to Nimitz pass the homeless guy to the bustop
under the freeway. And breathe in the billowing clouds of invisible odorless smokeless cat converter filtered air. That's what I'm going to miss about Oahu.