By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Port calls like this one by the Queen Elizabeth 2 are
on the increase, and officials want to know what they
need to do to make the most of this source of
much-needed tourist dollars.

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Making Hawaii
‘ship shape’

The state studies
how to cash in on booming
cruise biz

By Jerry Tune
Star-Bulletin

THE state wants to find out what harbor improvements are needed to handle the fast-growing cruise business, which already injects tens of millions of dollars a year into Hawaii's economy.

The consulting firm Leo A. Daly Co. will be doing a statewide passenger terminal study using a $500,000 appropriation approved by the state legislature.

"We're still in final review of the proposal and hope to start (the study) in another month or two," said Tom Fujikawa, state harbors administrator. Completion is expected by the end of 1998.

The state Department of Transportation also is requesting another $500,000 for design funds to improve terminals.

Leo A. Daly will be looking not only at what improvements are needed but also how to finance the work through both private and public means, said Fujikawa.

Leo A. Daly, based in Omaha, Neb., is a consulting firm that does architecture, engineering and physical planning and also some financial planning. It operates in 18 states, Europe and Asia.

Hearings will be held this summer to get input from the public, tourism industry, and others affected by any harbor changes.

The crowding at terminal facilities was seen on Sunday when the 1,100-passenger Rotterdam was put at Pier 2 to make room for the Queen Elizabeth 2, Fujikawa said.

"We need better facilities there," said Bill Thayer, president of Waldron Steamship Co. Ltd. "We can use some paint, walkways, and baggage handling."

The Rotterdam was one of the largest ships to use Pier 2, Thayer said. The QE2 also has used Pier 2 and found it difficult to get people on and off the ship, he said.

The state will be looking at what can be done with temporary baggage-handling facilities, using existing money, Fujikawa said.

Hawaii's cruise business is growing quickly. Bookings for ships from outside the state for this year at eight Hawaii ports have increased to 231 from 97 ship calls last year. This year there also will be 260 port calls by interisland operator American Hawaii Cruises, up from 240 last year.

The state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism estimates that 63,800 passengers will come from these 231 cruise ship calls, and another 42,000 passengers will go on interisland cruises this year.

Cruise passengers normally stay five to seven days in Hawaii and spend $85 to $200 a day when they go ashore, according to state economists. This amounts to $53 million a year. In addition, Hawaii benefits from spending by crews, harbor fees, refueling, ship maintenance, and new provisions for the cruises.

Thayer said that because passengers who come ashore spend so much money, getting them on and off the ships easily is vital.

Overseas cruise operators are already going to Lahaina, and Kailua-Kona, and there is talk of going to Hana, Maui, Hanalei, Kauai, and Lanai, he said.

On Oahu, the state now uses piers 9, 10 and 11 at Aloha Tower, but the 2020 harbors master plan calls for two more cruise ship berths at Pier 2, and another berth at piers 19-20.

The state says Pier 2, near the harbor's entrance, is a better fit than the area around Aloha Tower, which gets congested when two ships tie up at the same time.

Worldwide cruise business is expected to quadruple by the early 2000s as baby boomers-turned-seniors flock to cruises, according to industry analysts.

Thayer said the state is just starting to market Hawaii ports to cruise lines. Two state officials and two maritime industry officials plan to attend the Sea Trade Convention in Miami in March.