Island Of Hawaii News

Nearly two dozen sightseers were injured from a lava explosion that sent debris hurtling onto a tourist boat in Hawaii. Officials said one passenger suffered a broken leg and others were burned when the volcanic blast launched a “basketball-sized lava bomb” through the vessel’s roof.At approximately 6 a.m. Monday, U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders in Honolulu received a report from 911 that sightseers and crewmembers aboard the tour boat Hot Shot had been injured near the Kilauea…

The 65-foot commercial passenger vessel Spirit of Kona ran aground on the island of Hawaii, Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders received notification Sunday morning that the vessel ran aground on the rocks near the Kailua-Kona Lighthouse. The vessel reportedly broke free of its mooring in Kailua Bay as Tropical Storm Darby passed over the region early Sunday. No one was aboard the vessel at the time of the incident. The vessel reportedly has a maximum pollution potential of 600 gallons of diesel fuel aboard…

Hurricane Ignacio intensified as it blew across the Pacific on a route likely to bypass Hawaii on Saturday, said the Central Pacific Hurricane Center of the National Weather Service. With winds gusting up to 115 miles per hour (185 kmph), the hurricane centered 835 miles (1,344 km) southeast of Honolulu and 625 miles (1,006 km) south east of Hilo was moving northwest at 8 miles per hour (13 kmph), said center spokesman Neil Honda. "It just became a hurricane from a tropical storm," Honda said, noting the weather became fierce enough to be classified a hurricane at 5 a.m. Pacific on Saturday. "It will just pass by the islands," Honda said, noting it could blow by later on Saturday morning.

NOAA’s Marine Debris Program provided $967,000 through its Restoration Center to support locally driven, community-based marine debris prevention and removal projects. Eleven groups across the country received funding to remove derelict fishing nets, litter, lumber, tires and other harmful marine debris from shorelines and coastal waters. “Marine debris plagues coastlines all over the country, and these communities have the expertise and motivation to address it,” said Nancy Wallace, Marine Debris Program director.

Sonardyne International has retrieved its first Pressure Inverted Echo Sounder (PIES) off the coast of Hawaii. This new sensor logging node is designed to accurately measure the average sound velocity through a column of water from the seabed to the sea surface. The information gathered will help oceanographers to better understand the dynamics of the ocean and atmosphere-ocean coupling. On September 24, the Sonardyne PIES was free-fall deployed into a 960-meter deep water channel close to the big island of Hawaii, and commanded to log average sound velocity readings every seven minutes.

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard commander Capt. Gregory R. Thomas joined the Battleship Missouri Memorial in saluting its volunteers and supporters as the historic ship fully reopened to visitation following a multimillion-dollar drydocking project. A ukulele band from the Big Island of Hawaii's Waiakea Intermediate School performed at a ceremony in honor of the memorial's volunteers and supporters. The school group is staying aboard the 66-year-old iconic battleship all weekend as part in the memorial's overnight encampment program focusing on science…

United States Lines has launched a 1,212-passenger cruise ship, MS Patriot, newly emerged from a $21 million renovation and flying the U.S. flag recently departed for the first of its weekly cruises to five ports on Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and "Big Island" of Hawaii. New ship features include a Hawaiian Destination Learning Center, innovative children's and teen's activity centers, and upgraded conference and meeting facilities. Recently in a christening ceremony reflecting both the heritage of Hawaii and the spirit of America, Maggie Inouye, wife of Senator Daniel Inouye, officially dedicated the ship. A gala benefiting five Hawaiian charities was also held on board.

The 107-meter Auto Express vehicle-passenger catamaran, launched at Austal’s Mobile, Alabama facility on January 18, for the Hawaii Superferry Corporation has been officially named Alakai (Hawaiian for “ocean path”). The ferry will now transit to the Hawaiian Islands to commence service later this summer. In April, Alakai successfully completed sea trials conducted in the Gulf of Mexico. There were numerous challenges involved in completing the largest aluminium ship built to date in the USA to ensure adherence to stringent weight controls and construction standards Austal is renowned for in its high performance vessels. It quickly became evident that the American design and construction team had indeed set a high standard when the ferry was put to the test in Gulf waters.

Horizon Lines reported that the earthquake measuring magnitude 6.6, and several strong aftershocks including one measuring magnitude 5.8, that struck the Big Island of Hawaii on Sunday morning has not significantly impacted its operations. Inspections conducted Sunday found all cranes fully operational and minimal impacts to the Port of Honolulu. Power was restored late Sunday and a Horizon Lines vessel, the Horizon Pacific, made its normally scheduled port call and was successfully worked last night.

Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. "As many of you are aware, an earthquake struck the Hawaiian Islands this morning. The undersea quake, which was centered off of the island of Hawaii (the "Big Island"), struck at 7:07 am local time and was followed by a series of smaller aftershocks. Thankfully, initial reports indicate that casualties were limited and that there were no fatalities. As always, A&B stands ready to assist and support its employees, customers and fellow Hawaii citizens in dealing with the aftermath of the quake. "Fortunately, A&B's operations and real estate properties avoided any serious interruptions or damage as a result of the earthquake, and our terminal operations and agricultural facilities continue to operate.

Matson Navigation Company, Inc. (Matson) has begun the first conversion of one of its C-9 containerships, MV Mokihana, to a combination roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) and container vessel to further strengthen its Hawaii service capabilities. With the conversion, the vessel will have ro-ro and container capacity comparable to two vessels in Matson's service today, the dedicated ro-ro vessel Great Land and the containership S.S. Lihue. The new garage will have the capacity to carry 1,350 vehicles. The plan is part of a multi-phase program that began in 2003 and is designed to provide Matson's auto customers with the two service features they prefer: frequency of service and ro-ro capacity.