Oahu landscaping firm
buys floating Ala Wai crane

Answer: The state is selling the "harbor Mog" to an Oahu landscaping company.

The state put the Mog up for sale through auction last November. Glad's Landscaping and Tree Trimming was the sole bidder with a bid of $10,000.

"I think it's a good price," said Glad's owner, Silivenusi Manufekai.

The state bought the Mog for $213,000 in 1994. It is a boat with an on-board crane for lifting debris from harbors, rivers and other inland waterways. However, the crane proved too tall to fit under the McCully and Ala Moana bridges, except at low tide. And the boat's stabilizing arms were too short to reach the bottom in many areas of the canal.

Glad's does mangrove removal and wetland restoration. Manufekai said he bought the Mog to expand his business.

"The problem is finding a job for it," he said.

Manufekai said the Mog can be used to clean many of Hawaii's streams and even Kawainui Marsh. But so far, there are no government contracts for that kind of work.

Richard Namba, who won a city contract to clear two waterways feeding into Salt Lake, did not bid on the machine because he said such jobs are rare. He subcontracted the city work to a company that manufactures a machine similar to the Mog.

Manufekai said he'd like to keep the Mog here but will sell it if he can't get jobs for it. The company that manufactured the Mog no longer exists. However, the company that is doing the Salt Lake work is interested in buying it, he said.

The Mog was used to remove derelict boats in a cleanup of Keehi Lagoon from 1994 to 1996. Otherwise, it has been sitting idle in a state base yard.