DOT agreed not build Pier 5 at Kahului Harbor given NCL’s removal of 2 out of 3 of their cruise ships and the uncertain economic future of the Superferry which is still operating at a loss.

However, they plan on keeping the Pier 5 option in their 2030 plan. This means that once the 2030 EIS is approved, they can resurrect the idea and proceed on construction without any additional environmental review.

We still need to pressure them to remove it from the EIS entirely and begin looking at an eastward expansion – that is: expand outward instead of inward.

With the postponement of Pier 5, our freight is still in very bad shape with passenger ships interfering with operations and the passenger-freight mix creating a huge safety issue.

And were you aware that DOT built the cruise ship passengers a beautiful restroom that the Matson employees are not allowed to use? Matson and other employees at the dock are restricted to inadequate facilities while tourists get pampered. Is this right?

10:30am at the Kahului Fishing Hale

The next meeting of the Superferry Oversight Task Force
will be held on Maui, June 13 (Friday), at the Kahului Fishing Hale.

The meeting will commence after the arrival of the Superferry,
between 10:30-11:00 a.m. The task force is expected to arrive
via the Superferry that morning to assess the operation firsthand.

I urge you to attend the meeting if your schedule allows. Given
their change in leadership, second daily voyage to Maui, EIS draft,
and other recent newsworthy HSF activity, I think it’ll be a meeting
worth attending.