Ferry's collision with whale called unavoidable
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
The 149-passenger ferry that links Maui and Lana'i hit a whale earlier this month, but a federal official said it is unlikely the company will be penalized.
National Marine Fisheries Service enforcement agent Paul Newman yesterday said he investigated the Feb. 6 collision and concluded it was an unavoidable accident.
The Expeditions ferry was returning to Lahaina from Manele Harbor about 2:15 p.m. when a whale popped up about 100 yards in front of the vessel 1.5 to 2 miles off Lana'i's Kamaiki Point. The boat was traveling at its normal speed of about 20 mph.
The captain immediately put the engine into neutral, but the boat couldn't slow fast enough to avoid the strike, Newman said. No one was hurt.
Crew members described a young calf popping up out of the water, with its mother trying to urge it back down. The collision, which Expeditions President Steve Knight said amounted to "a definite touch," occurred as the whales were diving underwater. Crew members heard a fluke bump or slap against the boat.
It is illegal for boats to approach within 100 yards of whales in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary waters. Violators face hefty fines.
Newman, who talked to the captain and others on the ferry during his investigation, said he would file a report, but that it is unlikely any action will be taken, considering the circumstances. Ultimately, the decision will be up to his superiors.
He said the captain reported the incident, the whale season's first known collision.
Knight said it was the first whale collision he could recall since Expeditions began operating in 1988.
"Our business is ferry transportation," he said. "Unlike whale-watch boats, we don't go out of our way in search of whales. We go out of our way to avoid whales. But this time of year, there are just so many whales in the 'Au'au Channel" between the two islands.
Newman urged mariners to slow down and be aware of the "30- to 40-ton movable reefs" that ply Hawai'i's waters. February is the peak of the winter whale season, when the North Pacific population of humpback whales migrates from Alaskan waters to breed and give birth in Hawai'i's shallow, warm seas.
Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
