A new interisland barge — the first of four — is scheduled to be delivered to Young Brothers Ltd. today at an Oregon shipyard.

The barge, built by U.S. Barge, will be delivered during a ceremony at which it will be christened the Ho'omaka Hou.

The Ho'omaka Hou, scheduled to begin service this month, is the largest that Young Brothers owns, at 340 feet in length, 90 feet in width and 20 feet in depth.

The barge is the first of four that will come into Young Brothers' service over the next 18 months to two years. The flat-deck barge will help handle cargo growth that Young Brothers is expecting in coming years, and is designed to handle the increasing volume of 40-foot containers used by customers, the company said.

The first voyage of the Ho'omaka Hou will probably be to Nawiliwili, Kaua'i; it will then go into regular service to Kahului, Maui.

Young Brothers said that as the new barges arrive, its older, smaller barges will be retired.

Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Commission is reviewing an agreement between the state Consumer Advocate and Young Bothers on a proposed 10.7 percent general rate increase.

Young Brothers said it sought the increase to make enough revenue this year to cover expenses and to earn a fair rate of return on its investments.