Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Editorials
Friday, October 20, 2000Hawaii gains attention
as cruise destinationThe issue: Another ocean liner will be based in Honolulu for interisland cruises.
HAWAII'S standing as a cruise-ship destination has been strengthened with the announcement that another ocean liner will be based in Honolulu for cruises in the islands. Hawaii has lagged behind the Caribbean and the Mediterranean as a cruise-ship attraction but that situation is rapidly changing. The result should be a significant enhancement of Hawaii's visitor industry -- particularly the Aloha Tower Marketplace, which has struggled financially.
Disclosure of plans by foreign-owned Norwegian Cruise Line means competition for American Hawaii Cruises, which had the interisland cruise business to itself for years. Norwegian Cruise Line already operates interisland cruises but the ships are currently based in Vancouver.
Norwegian Cruise Line, which is owned by Star Cruises Group, the fourth largest ocean cruise operator in the world, said it will take delivery of the SuperStar Leo, a 1,960-passenger liner, in December 2001 and begin the first voyage on Dec. 16. SuperStar Leo was launched early in 1999 and has been operating out of Hong Kong.
The interisland voyages will last seven days and include a stop at Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati, about 1,200 miles south of Honolulu. This is necessary for compliance with a U.S. law that does not permit foreign vessels to carry passengers to U.S. ports unless they are connecting with a foreign port.
Norwegian Cruise Line, which is based in Miami, said basing the 76,800-ton SuperStar Leo in Honolulu will have "a tremendous impact" on the Hawaii cruise market. It's possible that this step will lead to other operators taking interest in Hawaii.
Meanwhile American Hawaii Cruises, which currently operates the 1,000-passenger Independence in Hawaiian waters, will bring a refurbished foreign-built ship, the 1,200-passenger Patriot, into service in the islands this December under the United States Lines brand. The company won an exemption from federal law to bring in the foreign-built ship because it is building two ocean liners at a U.S. shipyard intended for later introduction into the Hawaii cruise service.
Unlike the Norwegian line, American Hawaii Cruises ships are not required to call at a foreign port on their Hawaii interisland cruises, which could be an advantage. However, some people prefer spending more time at sea.
IN addition to the interisland cruises, Honolulu is receiving a growing number of calls by foreign cruise ships -- about 50 this year.
All this activity should prompt state officials to consider what harbor improvements may be needed to handle the traffic. Honolulu Harbor and neighbor island harbors are going to get busier, and they must be up to the challenge.
State needs more
cyberspace capacity
AMBITIOUS state efforts to increase Hawaii's attraction to high-technology industry are worth continuing. However, the task is made formidable by the requirement for fiber cable connections to the mainland.
Transpacific high-tech connections already are reaching the saturation point. Officials of the Cayetano administration recognize the need to accelerate efforts to expand those links.
Some Internet service providers in Hawaii have temporarily stopped signing up new customers for high-speed connections because of the crunch, the Star-Bulletin's Rob Perez reported yesterday. Most affected are digital line service, the connection that does not require telephone dial-ups and can quickly be used to download movies, music and games.
LavaNet Inc. recently started a waiting list for customers wanting such service. Oceanic Cable's Road Runner Internet service has been able to accommodate its rapid growth of 700 to 800 customers a month but is searching for more bandwidth for sale.
The situation should improve on Nov. 15, when a new transpacific cable linking Australia to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland is expected to become operational. Part of the linkage will be dedicated to Hawaii-mainland traffic. Ross Pfeffer of Southern Cross Cable Network said the current Hawaii-West Coast bandwidth will more than double by the end of March.
An additional cable from Japan to Hawaii to the U.S. mainland is scheduled to become operational during the second quarter of next year. And a third project is planned to come online as early as 2002.
Joe Blanco, the state's technology director, said Governor Cayetano recognizes the problems created by the rapid expansion of the high-tech highways and is taking measures to streamline the permitting process to lure high-tech projects.
"One can never have enough bandwidth," Blanco said. "It's like horsepower under your hood."
Hawaii is not alone in its effort to cope with the high-tech explosion. Competition for this business is keen. The Cayetano administration made the right decision to take steps to keep the state on this fast road.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
