i L i n d . n e t

Just a couple of additional ferry-related items. Former Star-Bulletin photo editor Dean Sensui turned his attention to yesterday’s question of the Superferry’s appetite for fuel, saying he was never a math whiz “but as a pilot I had to know how to determine fuel consumption and range based on performance information.”

Based on data from the Austal and MTU websites (MTU manufactures the diesel engines that power the ship), here’s what I figured out:

Superferry engines.
Four MTU 20V 8000 M70 diesels.

Total power: 44,000 HP (32,810 kilowatts)

1150 RPM rated speed

190-195 g/kWh (grams of fuel per kilowatt-hour)

32,810 kilowatts at 190 g/kWh
= 6,299,520 grams/hour
= 13,888 pounds/hour
= 2,314 gallons/hour

Distance: 110 nm
Speed: 35 kts
Cruise time: 3 hours.
Total fuel consumption: 6,942 gallons.

Comparing the Superferry to airplanes isn’t a fair measure of efficiency. Airplanes don’t ship cars. But this helps explain the need for a fuel surcharge and why the fare structure is similar to that of the airlines.

If the ship went slower there could be a tremendous savings in fuel cost. Depending on hull design, of course. An example is the “displacement hull” used by ships and sailboats. Extremely efficient. You can cover great distances with very little energy. But it’s slow.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

Another friend whose opinions I respect shared another view:

I’ve followed this case as a lawyer with interest. The Environmental Assessment (EA) that the plaintiffs have sought is only for the constuction of the floating barge in Maui Harbor to let cars load and unload–it does not affect the operation of the Superferry per se. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has already granted a license to the Superferry folks to operate. Where were the plaintiffs when the PUC was considering the license to actually operate the Superferry as a public utility?

Also, as you pointed out, the speed with which the court released its decision was pretty much unprecedented. Its not just the DOT with massive amounts of egg on its face too, the Court should share the omlette for letting this important Statewide issue fester for month and months, and then only take action on the eve of the reality of the Superferry, leading to public disorder and inconveniencing hundreds of ferry customers.

Finally, cruise ships, which are virtually floating cities operate freely in the Hawaii waters. Are we going to require an EA for them too? How about the Young Brothers barges that move hundreds of vehicle inter-island dailiy?

This echoes the Superferry mantra over the past several years. Here’s John Garibaldi testifying before the Maui County Council back in March 2005:

“Hawaii Superferry complies with all Hawaii and federal environmental regulations, and should not be singled out to perform studies that existing and new shipping and cruise lines do not need to do,” he told the council.

The reply brief filed in the Supreme Court case by Superferry opponents tackled the “these are just minor harbor improvements no different from other ocean carriers” argument head on.

They argued that the exemption sought by the Superferry from any environmental review is restricted to minor projects, but whether a project is really “minor” requires examining “the totality of the circumstances.”

Any purported exempt activity must, by law, include an analysis of that activity’s potential connected actions, secondary impacts, significant effects and cumulative impacts.

They go on to argue that the improvements to the existing harbors necessarily, by law, must be considered as the “triggering” actions that enable a much larger Superferry system to proceed, and it is that larger system, rather than the specific harbor improvements, which requires an environmental review.

I’m not a lawyer but it’s an argument that apparently convinced the members of the Supreme Court.

Garibaldi regularly combined the “don’t single us out” line with a direct threat, stating that “the enactment of this measure (the EIS) will cause the immediate failure of the project.”

Attorney Isaac Hall, representing the environmental groups before the Supreme Court, attributed the state’s willingness to circumvent existing environmental laws to this direct threat repeatedly presented by Superferry officials.

Finally, here’s a set of questions & answers distributed by the Superferry’s P.R. team following Monday’s court hearing on Maui.

The news sounds all too familiar as another p.m. newspaper appears headed for history: “E.W. Scripps Company is seeking a buyer for The Albuquerque Tribune, and said it will close the city’s afternoon newspaper if one cannot be found.”

Meanwhile, yesterday offered another one of those two-newspaper moment:

Advertiser: “College-bound Hawai’i students made modest gains in SAT scores this year…”

Star-Bulletin: “Scores for Hawaii public and private students on the College Board SAT dipped for the second straight year as combined math and reading grades among high school seniors nationwide sank to the lowest levels in eight years.”

Can newspapers recover their base through more aggressive use of video? That’s what one blogger argued this week.

By shifting to a more aggressive video model, newspapers will not only compete with broadcasters for viewers online, they will be able to reclaim some of the younger audience that is more attracted to video distribution. While newspapers have already begun creating more video opportunities, I believe they have only scratched the surface of utilizing video to its full potential.

Meanwhile, one high tech guru foresees the demise of broadcast television as we have known it, which he predicts will be replaced by mobile viewers like Apple’s iPod and on-demand video. It’s the kind of future that those newspapers of the future may fit into quite well, a YouTube on steroids.

We’re going to miss one of our favorite morning dogs today. Lola was scheduled to leave last night for Oregon with her family. She’s been a pleasure during her time here. She was usually the lookout who first noted our daily approach and started barking in anticipation. Now one of the other dogs is going to have to take on that task.