Because the 350-foot, high-speed catamaran can transport a battalion of 600 to 700 soldiers, equipment, supplies and 200 vehicles in one trip, "I can roll right off the Hawaii Superferry and start operations immediately," said Brig. Gen. Gary Ishikawa, deputy adjutant general for the state Department of Defense.

"We have a lot of resources but the key is moving them at the same time and being operational when we arrive at the scene of the disaster," he said.

The Hawaii Superferry called Ishikawa as a witness in a Maui Circuit Court hearing on whether the new interisland ferry should be allowed to operate while the state conducts an environmental assessment of ferry-related projects at Kahului Harbor.

The Hawaii Supreme Court last month ordered the Department of Transportation to perform the study. The court ruled the agency erred in granting the harbor projects an exemption from environmental review laws.

Ishikawa said he thinks the ferry should be allowed to operate during the assessment process. Keeping the vessel running during that time would ensure the ferry and its crew are ready to go if needed in emergencies, he said.

"If you let a piece of equipment sit, it lowers your confidence that equipment will be available when you need it," Ishikawa said.

Attorney Isaac Hall, representing three groups that have been pushing for the environmental review, issued a continuing objection to any testimony that deals with any economic or nonenvironmental harms that may arise if the ferry is not allowed to operated during the assessment.