- Alakai
The "Alakai" is the
Hawaii Superferry 's first first high-speed ferry. In theHawaiian language , "alakai" means "sea path." It should not be confused with the similar word "alakaokinai", which means "leader."Vessel
Alakai is a convert|349|ft|m|sing=on long high-speed roll-on / roll-off (Ro/Ro) passenger and vehicle ferry operated by "Hawaii Superferry". It operates daily service at a speed of convert|35|kn|km/h between the islands of
Oahu andMaui . Alakai has a capacity of 866 passengers and up to 282 subcompact cars. Alternately, its vehicle decks can be reconfigured in 5 minutes to carry up to 20 large trucks and 90 cars. [ [http://starbulletin.com/2007/08/26/news/story01.html#jump3 Alakai Anatomy] ]The vessels feature environmentally friendly technologies including non-toxic bottom paint, zero wastewater discharge and clean diesel engines. [ [http://www.hawaiisuperferry.com/about-us/community/eco-friendly-features.html?src=left Hawaii Superferry - Eco-friendly Features] ]
Hawaii Superferry’s vessels are designed and built by
Austal USA , a subsidiary ofAustal , an Australian company that is the world's largest builder of fast ferries. Construction on the Alakai began in June 2004 inMobile, Alabama . The ship was launched in January 2007, christened in April 2007 and sea trials went smoothly.tarting Service
The Alakai arrived in Honolulu on June 30, 2007 with a celebration, [ [http://starbulletin.com/2007/07/01/news/story01.html Superferry!] , 2007-07-01] after a smooth 17 day delivery voyage. [ [http://www.cdnn.info/news/travel/t070629.html CDNN :: Alakai Superferry Speeding Towards Hawaii] ] The ship's maiden voyage was on August 26, 2007 and the trip to Maui was smooth. The voyage to Kauai was rougher and the Alakai was met by about a dozen protestors on surfboards blockading the entrance to Nawiliwili Harbor. The protestors were peacefully cleared by the Coast Guard.
2008 Dry Dock
On
February 13 ,2008 the Alakai went into dry dock in early 2008 to make repairs to its auxiliary rudders that were damaged in late January. The dry docking was extended due to hull damage caused when a tugboat moving the Alakai into dry dock lost power. [ [http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=25400 BYM Marine & Maritime News] ] Alakai returned to service in early April 2008 shortly afterAloha Airlines ended service. [ [http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Mar/09/ln/hawaii803090375.html Superferry in drydock till April 22 - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper] ] Before resuming service the ship went through sea trials and was re-certified by the Coast Guard.References
External links
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=xEUIIDBKeEs Tour of the Alakai]
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