Hawaii Ocean Industry Magazine Archives

December 2000 - January 2001

CSX, Matson expand Hawaii service

Young Brothers Celebrating 100 Years of Service to Hawaii

MS Patriot ready to launch Hawaii cruises

Aloha Mariners!

The State of Hawaii is truly a national resource and a national treasure. And each of us associated with the ocean industry in Hawaii has to consider ourselves especially blessed to have such a workplace, such a calling and such opportunity. It is with this in mind that we in the boating program extend our appreciation for the opportunity provided by Hawaii Ocean Industry and Shipping News to annually update you and the community on the changing facility landscape managed by the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.

While we all share a level of active stewardship of the waters of the state, and most of us get to enjoy the public recreational access preserved through our collective management efforts, it often falls to the commercial tour activities to help us work with the communities to find the right balance for all users. These efforts may result in a trend line that makes our more than 20 small boat harbors appear more and more like DOT commercial harbors with accommodations for the passenger cruise ship industry and terminals for ferry service. At the same time, the demand for access points for larger tour boat activity providers has already resulted in some DOT commercial facilities taking on the appearance of small boat harbors.

Our ocean waters out to 3 miles become challenged by a growing need and an often illusive and unquantifiable concept we call "carrying capacity." This challenge demands that all of us in the ocean industry insist on responsible, consistent and innovative management to reduce user conflicts. By doing so we enhance the prospects for Hawaii's economic growth and for the natural environment that will serve generations not yet born.

Please consider the Boating and Ocean Recreation Division's staff at your service. Call on them for information, to share innovative ideas, to gain updates on statewide initiatives or to provide assistance. Mahalo to you and to Hawaii Ocean Industry and Shipping News for including us as part of what makes Hawaii so special.

With much Aloha,

Howard Gehring
Acting Administrator
Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation
Department of Land and Natural Resources.

MS Patriot ready to launch Hawaii cruises

Following a multi-million-dollar refurbishment at the Cascade General Shipyard in Portland, Ore., United States Lines' ms Patriot is set to launch its year-round Hawaii cruise service on Dec. 9. It will be christened at a private event on Dec. 8 with proceeds from ticket sales benefiting five local Hawaii charities: The USS Missouri Association, the Arizona Memorial National Park Foundation, America's Promise Hawaii, the Honolulu Symphony and Ready to Learn.

The 1,212-passenger ship, formerly Holland America Line's Nieuw Amsterdam, was acquired by United States Lines on Oct. 18 for $114.5 million and has been re-flagged as an American vessel. It will be home ported in Honolulu. It will sail to four Hawaiian islands and five Hawaiian ports on a seven-night itinerary.

In November, United States Lines' sister company, American Hawaii Cruises, re-located its SS Independence from Honolulu to Maui. It also offers 7-night, 4-island cruises between the islands. More than $78 million has been spent on refurbishing the ship since 1994.

Among the upgrades made to the ms Patriot are a 464-square-foot Presidential Suite; a 1,571-square-foot Conference and Business Center with a 230-seat theatre; and new family areas including a teen center and kids' club.

The ship's Destination Learning Center is described as the "heart" of the vessel, a place where passengers can learn about Hawaii and the 80 optional shore excursions offered in the ships' Island Explorations program. The Kumu Study and Library will offer Hawaiiana resource materials and exhibits as well as classes in Hawaiian arts, language and crafts.

United States Lines, a subsidiary of American Classic Voyages, also has two new ships under construction - the largest ever built in an American shipyard. The two 1,900-passenger vessels are scheduled to begin service in Hawaii in 2003 and 2004.

CSX, Matson expand Hawaii service

For the second time this year, both CSX Lines and Matson Navigation Company have augmented their Hawaii service.

Citing Hawaii's improving economy and increased cargo demand, CSX introduced a new Hawaii service, the Midweek Express, on October 16, and Matson added an eighth vessel, the SS Ewa, to its Hawaii Service fleet on October 29.

Earlier this year, CSX replaced two C7 vessels with two larger SL-18 ships, increasing its weekly California Hawaii Express service by 24%. In May, Matson added a seventh vessel, the SS Lihue, to its Hawaii Service fleet, increasing the number of round-trip voyages from 156 to 182 per year.

CSX' Midweek Express is a fortnightly service, departing Wednesday morning and offering a direct sailing from Southern California, arriving Sunday in Honolulu. It also provides direct service from Honolulu to Tacoma and intracoastal service from Tacoma to Long Beach. The new service complements the company's California-Hawaii Express service which provides two vessel calls in Honolulu each week.

Designed to provide an advantage for time-sensitive shipments, Brian Taylor, CSX Lines vice president, Hawaii and Guam, said the company "offers the only direct connection from Southern California to Honolulu with Sunday cargo availability."

With the addition of the SS Lihue, Matson's new sailing schedule now features four arrivals from the West Coast every week, including two direct sailings every week from Northern California and twice weekly service from Southern California. The company also continues its Pacific Northwest service with a weekly Sunday departure.

Young Brothers

Celebrating 100 Years of Service to Hawaii

Young Brothers, Ltd. (YB) and Hawaiian Tug & Barge (HTB) are celebrating their first century of business.

"We are planning to continue the proud maritime tradition that its founders pioneered 100 years ago and successfully face the challenges ahead," said YB/HTB President Glenn Hong. "The company is dedicated to offering the best possible customer service that skilled employees and a modern fleet can provide to meet the growing needs of Hawaii's people for the next generations," he continued.

One hundred years ago, Herbert, William and Jack Young arrived in Honolulu to start a "bumboat" business, delivering supplies to ships anchored offshore.

Young Brothers quickly became established as a small but prosperous harbor business that ran ship lines, hosted fishing and boating parties, and performed rescues at sea. May 1903 saw the beginning of a 28-year association between the brothers and the Customs Department that contracted YB's launch, Waterwitch, to take boarding officers out to meet all incoming liners.

Until the 1920s, the company's seagoing business was limited to the Pearl Harbor area. But by the 1930s, and with the addition of the Mamo to its fleet of tugs, YB began shipping huge volumes of pineapples from Molokai to Honolulu, and Capt. Bob Purdy proved the feasibility of tandem barge tows. During the period from 1937 to 1947, the company expanded beyond Kaunakakai to include all the major islands, as well as a twice yearly run to Kalaupapa.

In 1952, YB was merged with the Oahu Railway and Land Company (OR&L) to operate as a separate division under the name Young Brothers. At the time, the maritime services of the company were conceptualized as an extension of overland hauling done by the railway, and in the closing years of the decade the company name seemed to disappear from public view into the OR&L Freight Department. But the efficiency of inter-island barge transportation would survive the demise of railroads.

Over the decades, barge design progressed from leaky wooden vessels of the early 1900s to steel-hulled fortresses capable of hauling 7,300 tons of cargo today. In the late 1950s, YB introduced roll-on roll-off cargo handling that has become the industry standard.

The year 1959 brought statehood to Hawaii and regulatory changes affecting scheduled freight services. Young Brothers, Limited re-emerged in 1960 as a wholly owned subsidiary of OR&L to provide common carrier inter-island barge service under Public Utilities Commission regulations. Hawaiian Tug & Barge was formed as a sister company, to differentiate harbor operations and charter activities from YB's freight services. In 1961, the two companies became subsidiaries of a newly formed parent company, the Dillingham Corporation.

Both companies were purchased by Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. in 1986. On November 11, 1999, the companies joined SaltChuk Resources, Inc. and gained the benefit of the parent company's extensive maritime resources.

Today, YB has port operations in Honolulu, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and both Kawaihae and Hilo on the Island of Hawaii.
Young Brothers and Hawaiian Tug & Barge are looking forward to the next 100 years of serving Hawaii.

Salutes

American Hawaii Cruises has named Captain Evans W. Hoyt master of the S.S. Independence. Hoyt's 18 years of maritime experience includes officer positions aboard several ocean-going cruise, cargo, and military vessels.
Most recently, he was master of the MV SP5 Eric Gibson for Osprey Ship Management. From 1992 to 1999, he commanded ships for Crowley American Transport, carrying cargo for U.S. and U.N. armed forces.

American Hawaii's parent company, American Classic Voyages, named Lee A. Robinson, CTC, vice president, sales. He will manage the sales organization for AMCV's four cruise brands including American Hawaii Cruises, United States Lines, The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. and Delta Queen Coastal Voyages.

United States Lines has named Captain Mark G. Zarynoff master of its first ship, the ms Patriot.

Zarynoff's career with American Classic Voyages dates back to 1981, when he joined the company's American Hawaii Cruises as a third officer. Since 1993, he has served as master of American Hawaii's 860-passenger S.S. Independence.
Bryan Y.Y. Ho was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to represent Hawaii commercial fishery interests on the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. He manages three commercial longline fishing vessels and is president and sole shareholder of a law corporation that specializes in admiralty and maritime law. Ho replaces Jim Cook of Pacific Ocean Producers, whose term ended August 10.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary announced the nine new non-government representatives on its Sanctuary Advisory Council: James Coon, Louis Herman, Jack Laufer, Eric Gilman, Isaac Harp, Charles Maxwell, Teri Leicher, Michael Stanton, and Carrie Robertson. They will serve a two-year term.

Marine Casualties

The following casualty information is provided by the USCG Marine Safety Office Honolulu.

9/20/00 PACIFIC OCEAN.
While enroute to Honolulu, SS Matsonia suffered a casualty in the water tubes of the starboard boiler. Subsequently, the system lost water and caused both boilers to be shut down. Port boiler was brought online and the vessel arrived in Honolulu on own power. Temporary repairs were completed in Honolulu and the vessel proceeded to Oakland, Ca. to conduct permanent repairs.

10/2/00 KEEHI LAGOON, OAHU.
The Koko I was transiting from the Hawaiian Ocean Thrills barge to Keehi Boat Ramp when a jetski from Aloha Jetski & Parasail collided with the vessel. The 75-year-old female operator lost control of the jetski, diverted from the designated operating area and collided with the starboard bow of the Koko I. The jetski operator suffered multiple injuries and a fractured pelvis. The jetski was a total loss; Koko I sustained minor damages.

10/18/00 MOANALUA BAY, OAHU.
Turtle One collided into the Kumu Girl in Hawaii Kai. Kumu Girl was inbound at Moanalua Bay Channel with two passengers while Turtle One was approaching at a high rate of speed. The bow of Kumu Girl struck the console and operator of Turtle One. The operator suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung. There were no injuries to personnel and passengers onboard the Kumu Girl.

10/21/00 MAALAEA, MAUI.
M/V Navatek II grounded on the north side reef of the Maalaea Harbor Channel. here were no passengers onboard and no injuries to crewmembers. The Navatek II suffered damage to the hull plating on the forward starboard pontoon. Flooding was minimal and the vessel transited to Honolulu to conduct repairs. There was no discharge of fuel into the ocean.

10/22/00 HONOLULU HARBOR, OAHU.
While Tug Navajo was departing Honolulu Harbor with two barges, the vessel executed a 180 degree turn to go outbound of the harbor channel. The towing hawser passed beneath one of the barges and began to pull the barge astern. The barge pulled to starboard and stern first into the reef. There was minor damage to the port skeg and watertight integrity was not compromised. There were no injuries and no discharge into the ocean.

Regulatory News

Graykowski leaves MARAD

Acting Maritime Administrator John Graykowski resigned his position on November 4. President Clinton appointed Graykowski as deputy maritime administrator in 1994. He twice has served as acting maritime administrator, most recently from May 22, 2000 through his November resignation.

"John Graykowski has been a determined leader and enthusiastic advocate of the nation's maritime industries," said Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater. "He has had a tangible positive impact on the U.S. shipbuilding industry by efficiently administering programs and policies resulting in more than $6 billion in ship construction and shipyard activity."

Since 1994, Graykowski has directed the National Shipbuilding Initiative, assisting U.S. shipyards in transitioning from defense to commercial production. Under Graykowski's leadership, loan guarantees have been approved for six shipyard modernization projects and for the construction of 298 vessels, including 15 double-hull tankers. Significantly, under the revitalized ship guarantee program, for the first time in 37 years, commercial oceangoing ships have been built for export.

Casualty reporting requirements

The Coast Guard is proposing to amend the marine casualty reporting requirements by adding "significant harm to the environment" as a reportable marine casualty. The rule will assist the Coast Guard track and investigate marine casualties that may result in significant harm to the environment. In addition, it will lessen the effects of marine casualties by requiring timely notification needed to ensure a timely and appropriate pollution response clean-up.

The proposed amendment would also require foreign-flag tank vessels in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to report marine casualties that occur within the zone, including accidents that involve either 1) material damage affecting the seaworthiness or efficiency of a vessel or 2) significant harm to the environment.

"Significant harm to the environment" is defined as a discharge that, in U.S. navigable waters, is in violation of the Clean Water Act 33 U.S.C. 1321. The definition also includes a probable discharge of oil, hazardous substances, marine pollutants, or noxious liquid substances as well as an actual discharge.

Comments on the proposed rulemaking should be addressed to the Docket Management Facility, USCG-2000-6927, DOT, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh St., SW., Washington, D.C. 20590-0001. Responses may also be electronically sent via: http://dms.dot.gov

News Briefs

New travelift for Keehi Marine

Keehi Marine Center recently dedicated a new 150-ton marine travelift at its Sand Island facility. The high-capacity travelift replaces a 70-ton lift and enables the boatyard to haul out larger commercial boats, fishing vessels and tugboats.

The $423,000 lift was manufactured by Marine Travelift of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and is the largest of its kind in Hawaii.

In the past year, Keehi Marine has invested over $1 million to improve its boat repair facilities.

NOAA to resume fishery data collection

The Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources (HDAR) and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service have announced plans to re-introduce recreational fishery data collection in Hawaii for 2001. The new information will become part of the U.S. Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS) database in coordination with the ongoing efforts of the existing Creel Survey Project with HDAR.

Such surveys have not been conducted in Hawaii since1981 due to funding constraints.

The data collected will be used in biological stock assessments and will contribute to fishery management decisions by providing managers with a better understanding of the biological impact and social importance of marine angling. The data can also be used to forecast demand for new angling facilities like fishing piers, marinas, and boat ramps, and to locate these facilities where they will be most effective.

According to Maury Osborn, program manager for the MRFSS program, "The Hawaii data is like a missing puzzle piece. With this data, we will have a more complete picture of recreational fisheries in the U.S. Pacific, and with the recent addition of the U.S. Caribbean, we are one step closer to achieving complete national coverage."

For more information, call Mike Nelson at the DLNR - Division of Aquatic Resources Honolulu, (808)587-0100.

Ko Olina Marina plans boat expo

The Ko Olina Marina will host an in-water boat show and ocean expo next May 25-27 at its Leeward Oahu facility.

Activities planned include power and sail in-water displays, new and used boat sale, boating exhibits and demonstrations, safe boating seminars, USCG rescue demonstrations, around-Oahu sailing regatta, charity golf tournament, keiki activities and canoe races.

Show information and exhibitor packets are available. Call the marina at (808)679-1050 or get information online at www.koolinamarina.com/newsletter/show.htm

Oceanic Institute expansion

The Oceanic Institute broke ground in October for the construction of three new buildings at its Makapuu site. The buildings, which include a feeds laboratory, a hatchery and an environmental and marine science center, are the first increment of a $24.1 million capital expansion plan.

The project, known as the Center for Applied Aquaculture and Marine Biotechnology, includes a total of 11 buildings on three islands, with 8 at the Makapuu site. Research laboratories, pilot production modules, training and education facilities and infrastructure improvements are part of the expansion plan.

Construction is being funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. More than $4 million in contributions from local foundations, corporations and individual donors supplement the federal and state grants.