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Honolulu Harbor project totals $24M

The tab for improvements at Honolulu Harbor's Pier 2 is going up by $2 million as the state continues work on creating a modern, full-service terminal for cruise ship passengers at the site.

Gov. Linda Lingle said she has released the additional funds for repairs that will complement work already under way on the warehouse at Pier 2 where the passengers are processed.

Barry Fukunaga, deputy director of the state Harbors Division, said yesterday that the effort to upgrade the warehouse is a $24 million project that began in January, with Miller/Watts Constructors Inc. as the prime contractor. Completion is scheduled for next spring.

The funds released will go toward repairs along the front side of the pier, he said, with completion scheduled for November.

Subcontractors working on the terminal improvements include Alii Flooring, Baldridge & Associates, Beachside Roofing, Commercial Shelving, Grace Pacific Corp., Harry Asato Painting Inc., Pacific Ground Systems LLC, Schindler Elevator, Sun Industries and 18 others.

Hawaiian, JAL forge ticketing pact

Hawaiian Airlines and Japan Airlines have reached an interline e-ticketing agreement that will let customers book flights on both carriers with a single ticket and check in.

The move will allow Japanese visitors to connect to interisland flights on Hawaiian without checking in a second time.

The only other U.S. carrier to have such an arrangement with JAL is American Airlines. Hawaiian also has interline agreements with American, United, Northwest, Alaska and other airlines.

Regulators will host free forums

NASD, the leading private-sector regulator of the U.S. securities industry, will host free forums on Oahu and Maui to help Hawaii consumers understand investing and to discuss recent regulatory developments and issues.

The forums will be held Monday in the Banquet Room at the Maui Tropical Plantations in Waikapu, Maui, and next Tuesday in the Coral Ballroom at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. Each forum will begin at 5:30 p.m. with one hour for registration and a complimentary dinner.

Although the forums are free, registration is encouraged by calling toll-free 1-877-586-2737 or sending an e-mail to investorforum@nasd.com.

The forums are co-sponsored by the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Hawaii Council on Economic Education and U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka.

In other news ...

» China's biggest state-owned oil firm has reached an agreement to buy a major oil producer in neighboring Kazakhstan for $4.2 billion -- a victory in Beijing's campaign to secure foreign energy supplies for its booming economy.