Aug 27 2007
Protesting Atop Surfboards in Protest of Ferry
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HONOLULU - A dozen surfing protestors temporarily blocked the first-ever passenger ferry service among the Hawaiian islands as it tried to complete its second voyage, saying the craft could harm marine life.
Hours after the Hawaii Superferry’s maiden voyage from Honolulu to Maui and back, it was stalled for more than an hour outside Kauai’s Lihue harbor before Coast Guard patrol boats cleared away the surfers and escorted the 349-foot vessel to the dock. Cars were still being driven off the ferry when it was scheduled to be on its way back to Honolulu.
The four-deck, double-hulled ship, named Alakai, turned back from the Lihue harbor to the cheers of several hundred protesters beating drums and shouting Hawaiian chants along a seawall, witnesses said. The protestors, who paddled out to within a few yards of the ship, objected to the ferry’s failure to obtain an environmental impact report before launching.
Typically I’m all for making one’s life easier, especially when it comes to one’s daily commute, but I find myself a bit chagrined with what’s going on here. Boats are a serious threat to marine life and in area where tourism threatens the local ecosystem on a daily and regular basis I can’t help but to see the addition of a ferry traveling back and forth as an unnecessary evil in this case. What really gets me is that this has launched despite not having followed the proper procedures and channels. Why? How was this allowed?
