Superferry Night Runs Raise Whale Concerns

Now that whale season is in full swing, whale experts are concerned about the increased possibility of Superferry whale strikes. In the understatement of the year, NOAA's sanctuary superintendent commented on Superferry's claim that night vision goggles will help them spot whales in time to avoid killing them,

"We don't have any information that those would be a tool that would be very useful at sighting whales at night"

One has to admire the careful way she called HSF on their ongoing BS.

You've probably heard the old joke:

Man #1: You're selling your gadgets under cost.
Man #2: Yeah, but I'm making it up on volume

With only 26 vehicles counted boarding HSF on January 8th (2008) and massive hemorrhaging of red ink, it appears HSF has mistaken this joke for business advice. Not only are they selling their tickets at about half the normal price, operating almost empty, and not even covering their fuel costs, but now they've decided to add a second trip to Maui.

Hmmmm.....They don't have enough passengers to cover fuel costs on one trip per day so they are going to make two trips per day? What's wrong with this picture?

It looks like they're violating the pathetically inadequate conditions that Gov. Lingle imposed (but made optional). Recently Superferry has been arriving 30 to 45 minutes early every day. I'm guessing that they are running at top speed without slowing through the whales.

But hey, HSF says they haven't hit any whales yet....that they know of, that is. Big, fast vessels like HSF often kill whales without even knowing it. Sometimes they are discovered when the vessel reverses in the harbor to dock and the dead whale falls off the bow. Other times the whale is hit and dies out in the ocean with no one the wiser.

Given all the "ferry tales" Superferry Execs have told us over the last 3 years, I don't believe them at all any more.