Ship plans stops on other islands

Advertiser Staff

The Spirit of Ontario I made its way up the Honolulu Harbor channel yesterday. It will later travel to Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island for viewings. The ferry is similar to the one Hawaii Superferry plans for its interisland service. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

KSSK 92.3 FM will give away tickets for a viewing of the Spirit of Ontario I Saturday evening in Honolulu. The ferry will then travel to Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island for public viewings. Go to www.hawaiisuperferry.com for more information.

Hawaii Superferry said in January it plans to have the first of two new 900-passenger, 280-vehicle interisland ferries completed in 2006, with the second arriving in 2008. The high-speed ferries will be built in Alabama in a joint venture with Austal, an Australian firm specializing in designing and constructing passenger ferries.

The Hawai'i ships will be specifically designed and built for Hawai'i sea conditions, travel at speeds of up to 45 mph and be able to make the trip from Honolulu to Maui or Kaua'i in three hours.

Hawaii Superferry officials have said the cost of an interisland trip for a single passenger would be about half of what airlines charge.