Oahu shipping news

Damaged coral? No s%#$! The Advertiser reports today that the state intends to file claims against the Navy for damage to coral and costs related to the oops when the Port Royal ran aground near the Honolulu airport and got stuck for 3 ½ days. The state says pictures taken of the damage indicate that the section of coral has been “scarred” and needs to be repaired quickly or the damage will get worse. Not mentioned today, but noted previously, a coral superglue exists that is used by marine biologists to stick coral back together. Who knew?

The Superferry is dead, long live the Superferry. Superferry operations ended abruptly late last week when the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the State acted illegally when it allowed the Superferry to run simultaneously with an ongoing EIS investigation. The boat sailed out of Honolulu Harbor on Saturday, headed to Alabama, where the company plans to lease it out to other agencies running ferry services elsewhere. We loved the service and we will miss it.

Fire her up! Heard the “are they or are they not?” buzz about North Koreans launching a rocket? Well, folks in the know want the Navy to send the SBX Radar out to the middle of the Pacific as a preemptive measure. It looked like it was going nowhere yesterday. It’s moored off of Ford Island and we spotted it from the monorail we were riding at the local mall. (Spring break treat for Robbie!)