July Launch Still Set For Hawaii Superferry

Note: Hawaii’s Superferry system was eventually closed down. See our guide to Hawaii’s inter-island travel for alternatives for getting from island to island.
Back in Novemeber, we reported about the new Superferry service between Maui, Kauai, and Oahu.  As you may have heard, there were some potential environmental studies (EIS) that could have placed a stumbling block on launching the service.  According to this BusinessWeek article, the ferry service will not be hindered or delayed by the studies.  Here is an excerpt from the article:

“There are other companies that use our harbors, travel in our waters, and essentially impact the state in the same manner,” wrote Souki, D-Waihee-Wailuku, the Advertiser reported Thursday. “Some carry only passengers, some only cargo such as cars, and some carry produce and other products, including cattle, nursery plants, and other animal and plant life that have the potential of carrying invasive species.

“Some of these companies have been doing business throughout the Islands for close to a century. However, not one of them was required to do an EIS under existing law,” he said.

Sounds logical to me.