Hawaii Superferry Shipwrecked By Court Ruling?

The owners of the controversial Hawaii Superferry will suspend operations after the state Supreme Court ruled that it should not have been given permission to start without an environmental review.

The Honolulu Advertiser reports this morning that this shutdown may be permanent. The company will begin laying off workers on Thursday.

Legal challenges forced the high-speed Superferry to cease operations after a rocky start in the summer of 2007. It resumed service between Oahu and Maui in December 2007, but was blocked by a grass-roots campaign when it tried to begin sailing to Kauai. Service to the Big Island had been scheduled to begin in 2009, and then was pushed back to 2010.

Opponents of the Superferry said it endangered marine life, including whales, and created traffic problems on shore. Supporters said it was good for tourism and for the economy in general.

In any event, the only public transportation between the Hawaiian islands is, once again, on airlines.

Photo: Volcano Tenorio, Costa Rica

My niece, Allie Leblanc, snapped this photo from the window of our rented SUV as we drove along a dirt road to the Tenorio Volcano National Park in northern Costa Rica.

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