Ian Birnie, harbormaster for the Big Island, said he believes the initial estimate that the harbor suffered $5 million damage is too low, and will increase whether or not the damaged Pier 1 has to be entirely replaced.

Birnie told the County Council this morning that the portions of the 477-foot Pier 1 where barges normally tie up are so severely damaged that they cannot be used for mooring.

Harbor officials have rigged up a temporary mooring apparatus to offload cement from a barge scheduled to arrive tomorrow, but a study of the structural integrity of Pier 1 has still not been completed.

Birnie said the Hawai'i Superferry was supposed to operate from Pier 1, which needed some modifications to accommodate the vessel.

"We needed to make some improvements there anyway, and this probably will accelerate that process," Birnie said.

So far, Pier 1 and Pier 2A have remained closed, and Birnie said the concrete slab that makes up Pier 2A needs to be patched from underneath. Birnie said that sort of concrete work normally requires a 30-day period to completely harden, which means the pier likely will be out of commission for come time.