In an attempt to reduce air travel between Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and eventually the Big Island, the 350-foot Hawaii Superferry took to the seas, offering interisland travelers an alternative option to flying by transporting their cars instead.
But in recent months, the Superferry sparked a huge legal controversy from environmentalists, saying that the ferry could harm whales and increase car traffic on the islands. CNN explains:
The first 350-foot catamaran has been sitting idle in Honolulu Harbor for weeks while Superferry lawyers, the Legislature and Gov. Linda Lingle struggled with environmental objections.
State Attorney General Mark Bennett told the judge he was bound by the new law signed by Lingle this month allowing the ferry to run while an environmental study is being completed.
...Superferry CEO John Garibaldi said outside the courtroom that the ferry service likely would resume in about two weeks with an announcement in a few days on when 250 furloughed employees would be rehired. Its schedule calls for daily voyages to and from Maui and a six-times-weekly run for Kauai.
IT's reached a dilemma. Opt for flying, and you leave a much bigger carbon footprint during your Aloha travels. Opt for the ferry, and you're reducing your carbon emissions, but instead harming the whales and overcrowding the roads with cars. What's a traveler to do? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
For more background, check out World Hum's article about the surfers who blocked the ferry from entering Kauai's Lihue harbor last August.
Photo: Hawaii Superferry
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