The Hawaii Superferry: Hawaii's first high speed vehicle-passenger service

In 2007, inter-island travel in Hawaii will be forever changed as the Hawaii Superferry begins to offer high speed inter-island service from Oahu to Maui and Oahu to Kauai.

The Superferry is 340’ long and 80’ wide and will be capable of transporting up to roughly 900 people, 200 cars and 15 trucks. This means you can easily transport your vehicle from island to island without the need to re-rent one each time you are on a different island. Sailing at a rate of 48 mph, a trip from Oahu to Maui or Oahu to Kauai will take approximately three hours, while voyages to the Big Island will take four hours. While a three-hour ferry ride may seem like a long time, each ferry will have plenty of options to help pass the time, including a “Taste of the Islands” restaurant, a coffee and juice bar, fast food offerings and a children’s play area. Each ship will also be equipped with a business center and a satellite TV, which will show a video highlighting each voyage’s destination island. The ferries will also have ample, comfortable seating space including restaurant-style tables to comfortable reclining aircraft-style armchairs to family tables surrounded with reclining seats. According to Timothy Dick, the Hawaii Superferry chairman, "It’ll be like sailing on a mini-cruise ship."

Eventually, there will be three Hawaii Superferries offering services between the islands. Each vessel will feature semi-SWATH-type hulls that are designed specifically for Hawaiian waters, ensuring a smooth ride from port to port. While daily service from Honolulu to Kahului, Maui and Nāwiliwili, Kauai will commence in July of 2007, service to the Island of Hawaii will begin sometimes in 2009.

Hawaii Superferry, Inc. is a private Honolulu-based company of experienced Hawaii executives, entrepreneurs and transportation professionals. The company’s mission is to connect the people and commerce in Hawaii more economically and comfortably than ever before. Not only will the Hawaii Superferry offer fast and enjoyable inter-island travel, but it will also provide a more economic means of traveling between islands, costing about half the price of flying. This will benefit visitors to Hawaii as well as the many residents of Hawaii that have family members living on other islands.

For more information on the Hawaii Superferry, visit www.hawaiisuperferry.com.