The move will help free up space at the harbor, which is becoming more congested due to Maui's strong economy and the impending arrival of Hawaii Superferry's operations in early 2007, said Young Brothers' president Glenn Hong. "We don't have many choices since we've already exceeded capacity at the port. Moving the consolidation services off site is the only viable solution," Hong said.

Young Brothers asked the PUC to approve the request by June 1 so the company, commercial freight consolidators and customers will have seven months to transition before the change. Several commercial freight consolidators have said they would gear up to meet the needs of Young Brothers' customers who ship goods in a category known as "less than container load." The the change will not result in a loss of employment, said company vice president and general manager Vic Angoco.