JANUARY 2004

Hawaii Superferry signs agreement to buy two new 900-passenger, 280-vehicle ships.

JUNE 2004

A traditional Hawaiian blessing is held in Mobile, Ala., marking the start of construction for the first of the 345-foot ferries. Construction of the catamaran — the largest aluminum vessel ever built in the United States — starts six months ahead of schedule.

OCTOBER 2004

Canoe paddlers say the state's plan to add dock space and other shipping facilities at Kahului Harbor could destroy a surf spot, wipe out the harbor beach, and severely restrict canoeing in the only protected waters on Maui's north shore.

JANUARY 2005

Hawaii Superferry secures more than $200 million in private and government money, still targeting service in early 2007. The company says, however, it still needs about $40 million in improvements to state harbors.

FEBRUARY 2005

Environmental groups demand Superferry undergo a full and lengthy environmental review, winning support from the Kaua'i County Council, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa and shipping company officials. The push for an environmental review also appears to have the backing of some state lawmakers, with a Senate bill requiring an environmental impact statement proceeding through the Legislature.

FEBRUARY 2005

Hawaii Superferry CEO John Garibaldi said requiring an EIS would kill the project, and that June 30 is the "drop-dead date" by which all government approvals should be in place, allowing a $162 million order for two vessels to go through.

MARCH 2005

A Senate committee kills a bill that would have required an EIS.

JULY 2005

Maui Judge Joseph Cardoza throws out a lawsuit by the Sierra Club, Maui Tomorrow and the Kahului Harbor Coalition that had demanded a full and lengthy environmental review before ferry service starts.

AUGUST 2005

Environmental groups open a second legal front, filing a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to fight a categorical exclusion issued March 15 by the federal Maritime Administration that excludes the Superferry project from federal environmental laws.

SEPTEMBER 2005

U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor dismisses an environmental lawsuit against the Superferry, clearing the way for the company to move forward on financing and to plan service by early 2007.

APRIL 2006

State senators threaten to remove $10 million in state money for harbor improvements for the Superferry unless the company is more open with the public about its plans. The state Legislature approved $40 million in harbor improvements in 2005.

FEBRUARY 2007

A joint state Senate committee hears overwhelming testimony on Kaua'i — much of it from people wearing red shirts with anti-Superferry slogans — for requiring an EIS.

MARCH

Lawmakers kill a bill that would have forced the state to perform an environmental review of the ferry service's impact on harbors.

APRIL

Superferry completes sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico.

JUNE

Superferry arrives on O'ahu just hours after the company begins to book passenger reservations.

AUG. 24

Facing possible legal restrictions, Superferry launches two days ahead of schedule with $5 one-way tickets for passengers and $5 one-way tickets for vehicles.

AUG. 26

Hundreds of swimmers and surfers in Kaua'i's Nawiliwili Harbor hold the Superferry at bay for nearly two hours.

AUG. 27

This time, Superferry leaves Kaua'i without being able to get through a human blockade at the Nawiliwili Harbor entrance.

AUG. 28

Superferry indefinitely cancels Kaua'i trips.

SEPT. 3

Coast Guard announces that the security zone around Nawiliwili Harbor will be expanded by hundreds of yards to ensure safety when Superferry returns.

SEPT. 4

Environmentalists ask the Kaua'i Circuit Court for a temporary restraining order to stop service to Nawilwili Harbor from resuming.

SEPT. 14

Judge Joseph Cardoza agrees to extend the ban on Hawaii Superferry's use of Kahului Harbor, via a preliminary injunction.

SEPT. 20

Maui court hearing under way on whether ferry should be allowed to resume service while the state conducts an environmental review of publicly funded ferry-related projects at four harbors.

SEPT. 20

Gov. Linda Lingle tries to calm tensions over the Hawaii Superferry at a raucous public meeting on Kaua'i where she is interrupted by boos, hecklers and scattered profanities.

SEPT. 21

Citing safety concerns, Superferry says it will postpone service to Kaua'i indefinitely.

THURSDAY

Superferry president and CEO John Garibaldi testifies the company is losing $650,000 a week while its ship idles in Honolulu Harbor, and cannot afford to remain out of service in the months it will take the state to conduct a court-ordered environmental assessment.

FRIDAY

The state Transportation Department selects the company Belt Collins to conduct a $1 million environmental assessment.