Waters have been choppy for Hawaii interisland ferry

HONOLULU — Without passenger boats, bridges or tunnels linking the islands of Hawaii, the state's four island counties in some ways are as isolated from each other as they are from the mainland.

That may change when the Hawaii Superferry, a four-story catamaran, begins running from Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, to Maui and Kauai in a little over a year. A second boat connecting Honolulu with the Big Island is expected to start service in 2009.

"This is like the coming of the jet age. It's a new transportation mode," said John Garibaldi, president of Hawaii Superferry. "How much of the beauty of Hawaii do you experience from 20,000 feet in the air?"

Over the past several decades, other boat services have tried to provide a viable alternative to commercial airliner service to move people around the islands, but every effort has failed.

The latest ferry service was originally scheduled to start this year, and it still has a long way to go before its new July 1, 2007, launch date. Even if the $235 million project starts then, it's unclear whether it will be able to turn a profit.

Environmentalists, lawmakers, farmers and lawyers stand in the way.

Some are worried that the Superferry project is being rushed without researching traffic effects on each of the islands, without planning to prevent humpback whales from being struck by the big boats, and without protecting against invasive species such as biting ants spreading across the islands.

"We're not being given the whole story. The shortcomings are being glossed over," said Lucienne de Naie, chapter leader of the Hawaii Sierra Club. "We need to get real and examine these things. All we're getting is shiny promises and platitudes."

The Superferry is expected to start service with one boat the length of a football field offering daily service from Honolulu to Maui and Kauai. It will carry up to 900 people and 250 cars at one-way fares of $42 per person and $55 per vehicle.

The ferry will travel up to 40 mph, with a trip from Honolulu to Maui taking about three hours, compared to about 40 minutes by plane. The shortest trip, from Honolulu to Maui, would be 89 nautical miles. The Honolulu-Big Island line would be the ferry's longest voyage at 140 nautical miles.

Plans for the Superferry have been moving along at an uneven pace for several years.