Loading ...The 900 passenger Hawaiian Superferry has delayed its launch pending a safety inspection and certification by the U.S. Coast Guard. Originally the launch of the new four-story catamaran was scheduled for July, however, the company says the launch will be at least one month late. An exact date has not been set.
The new ferry was built by Austal USA and made in Mobile, Ala. It is the company’s first ship of this kind and on this scale.
The president and CEO of Superferry, John Garibaldi said that before the launch could go ahead, the boat had to complete its U.S. Coast Guard inspection. “The Coast Guard, Austal and Hawaii Superferry want to ensure that the vessel, its machinery and equipment, as well as its safety systems and plans, are thoroughly inspected and reviewed,” he said.
The ferry is intended to provide service for up to 900 passengers and 250 cars between Oahu, Maui and Kauai. In 2009, the service will expand further with a second super catamaran ferry launching service to the Big Island.
The company is not announcing the arrival date of the new ferry in Hawaii until the ship has left it’s port in Mobile and set sail. Before it begins service as a ferry, the ship must first pass through the Panama Canal, stop for fuel in Los Angeles and then travel the long stretch of ocean to Hawaii.
Superferry spokeswoman Lori Abe wouldn’t comment on the nature of the inspection while it was ongoing but did say that the company is going ahead with its original plans for the ferry, including hiring 200 employees.
More information about the Superferry is available on their website, including ticket prices which range from $52 to $62 per passenger and between $59 and $69 per car.
www.hawaiisuperferry.com