July 2001

Timothy Dick, an electrical engineer, founds Hawaii Superferry after seeing large high-speed roll-on/ roll-off catamaran ferries operating between Barcelona, Spain and the Island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean

June 2003

A new ferry terminal opens at Honolulu’s Pier 19. Built with federal funds, the facilities were expected to serve as Superferry’s operational hub

July 2003

Senator Daniel Inouye announced that defense-related initiatives for Hawaii, including the establishment of a Stryker Brigade at Schofield Barracks would receive $482 million in Fiscal Year 2004 ($71.8 million for the Sryker Brigade Combat Team)

Jan 2004

HSF signed an agreement to buy two 350-foot catamarans for its interisland ferry from Austal USA, an Australian company with a unit in Mobile, Alabama (the total amount of the order would be $162 million)

May 2004

Maui Land and Pineapple Company invested $1 million in HSF

June 2004

Grove Farm Company of Kaua’i agreed to buy 50% of Maui Land and Pineapple’s $1 million investment in HSF

June 2004

Hawaii Superferry Inc (HSF) submits application for Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to operate as “a roll-on/ roll-off fast passenger ferry” to carry 866 passengers and 282 cars between the Hawaiian Islands at speeds of up to 35 knots

July 2004

Final Stryker Brigade Environmental Impact Statement Approved by US Army Pacific Commander General Lt General James Campbell; Army plans to begin bringing Strykers to Hawaii

Jan 2005

Kaua’i County Council unanimously passed Resolution 2005-15 requesting an EIS

Jan 2005

HSF CEO John Garibaldi asks state legislators for a $40 million loan for HSF; in the same month a federal loan of $140 million for HSF was approved

Jan 2005

Senate Bill 1785 was introduced requiring HSF to prepare an EIS if passed. The Bill was quashed by the Senate Transportation and Government Operations Committee in the 2006 session

March 2005

The Federal Maritime Administration (MarAd) issued HSF a categorical exclusion exempting the Superferry Project from federal environmental laws

March 2005

John F. Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy and member of the 9/11 commission announces intention to invest an additional $58m equity capital through his private equity firm, J.F. Lehman & Company (the firm primarily invests in marine and aerospace defense projects); with Lehman’s expertise, the HSF planned to operate a Westpac Express, essentially to carry military equipment and ferry vehicles from Oahu to the Big Island on a daily basis.

March 2005

Hawaii Sierra Club, Maui Tomorrow and the Kahului Harbor Coalition filed a request for an injunction in the Maui Circuit Court in an effort to force the State to prepare and EIS before using Kahului Harbor for the Superferry; the request was filed because DOT was expected to enter into an operating agreement with the Superferry on or before April but be exempted from an environmental review which would be required by Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 343

March 2005

The Maui County Council approved a resolution that urged an environmental impact statement on the proposed Hawaii Superferry

March 2005

John F Lehman was appointed a member of the Hawaii Superferry Board

April 2005

John F Lehman states that there is going to be regular usage of the Superferry by platoons of Stryker vehicles

May 2005

HSF submitted its Whale Avoidance Policy to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council; the Advisory Council voted to support the policy

Aug 2005

In response to MarAd’s categorical exclusion, a lawsuit requesting an EIS was filed in US District Court on behalf of the three environmental groups and Friends of Haleakala National Park

Sept 2005

Maui EIS lawsuit dismissed by US District Judge Helen Gillmore

Nov 2005

The US Congress gave final passage to an appropriations bill that contained $7.5 million for Hawaii and Alaska to improve ferry infrastructure. In Hawaii, the money would make it easier to provide harbor facilities for Hawaii Superferry. The money came in a bill sponsored by Senator Daniel Inouye which contained more than $44 million in funds for infrastructure projects.

Nov 2005

Minneapolis equity private equity firm Northwest Equity Partners joined a team of investors in HSF Holding Inc, the parent company of the high-speed ferry provider in Hawaii.

Dec 2005

John F. Lehman is named as Chairman of the Superferry’s Board of Directors (as of July 2006, Lehman had invest $71 million into the HSF project, making him HSF’s largest private investor; 5 of the other 11 directors on the Board have ties with J.F. Lehman & Company

Jan 2006

Maui Tomorrow Foundation, the Kahului Harbor Coalition and the Friends of Haleakala National Park filed a legal challenge over the final environmental assessment for Kahului Harbor, claiming that no provisions were made to control alien species and little attend was paid to the role of the proposed Hawaii Superferry

Apr 2006

Terry O’Halloran, a member of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, was appointed as Director of Public Affairs of HSF

June 2006

Maui County Council Chairman Riki Hokama introduced a resolution calling for HSF to postpone the start of operations at Kahului Harbor until an update of the Harbor Master Plan and an EIS have been completed

June 2006

Armored Stryker Force vehicles start to arrive in Hawaii from General Dynamics Land Systems

July 2006

Maui County Council adopted a resolution asking country attorneys to join a lawsuit against the state DOT that questioned the adequacy of its Environmental Review of planned Kahului harbor improvements

Aug 2006

Second Circuit Judge Joel August ruled against the three Maui groups that were challenging the adequacy of an Environment Assessment for the Kahului Harbor on the grounds that they did not have standing to sue

Sept 2006

The People for the Preservation Kaua’i seek to present a petition containing 6000 signatures requesting and EIS to Governor Lingle but she does not receive the petition

Oct 2006

In response to a challenge from three Hawaiian groups, represented by public interest law firm Earthjustice, a federal court in San Francisco found that the Army had violated the National Environmental Policy Act when it did not consider all alternatives in its decision to install the Stryker Brigade in the Hawaiian Islands

Oct 2006

Judge Joel August reconsidered his ruling against the three Maui environmental groups on the grounds that it appeared that the state might be planning changes at Kahului Harbor without doing a required environmental review.

Oct 2006

The Big Island County Council called for a delay in the launch of the HSF until the State and the HSF did more to address concerns about the economic, social and environmental impacts of the project.

Oct 2006

A federal appeals court ruled that the Army violated environmental law by not properly considering alternatives to Hawaii for its Stryker Brigade; the Army is ordered to study other options

Nov 2006

Jeff Walter, the state manager of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary suggested that discussions should begin to create speed zones and other regulations to protect the whales

Dec 2006

Judge Joel August ruled that two of the three Maui groups seeking to challenge the state’s environmental statement for improvements at Kahului Harbor did have standing (Maui Tomorrow – traffic; Kahului Harbor Coalition – recreational use of the harbor) did have standing to claim and allowed them to proceed with the lawsuit joined by Maui County lawsuit; August urged the groups to negotiate as the ferry launch was only months away.

Jan 2007

Four Hawaii State Senators propose a bill for an act to require environmental impact statements for the Hawaii Superferry project

Jan 2007

First Hawaii Superferry craft launched for Austal USA in Mobile Alabama

Jan 2007

Princess Cruise Lines paid $750,000 to settle charges that it failed to operate one of its ships in a slow, safe manner near Glacier Bay Park where a humpback whale was found dead of massive skull fractures. Part of the fine was for not reporting the incident.

July 2007

Superferry set to commence operations.