What's up with the Superferry?

SUBHEAD: Latest on the Superferries, it is just as was thought. The military wants them. Maritime Administration sends vessels to shipyard

By Kaija Wilkinson on 16 July 2009 in The Alabama Press-Register

http://www.al.com/business/press-register/index.ssf?/base/business/1247735782115190.xml&coll=3 A pair of fast ferries built locally for Hawaii Superferry Inc. are being moved from Mobile to a Norfolk, Va., shipyard by the bankrupt company's main creditor, the U.S. Maritime Administration, MARAD said on Wednesday.

image above: The Hawaii Superferry Alakai sails into the sunset. Or does it?

From http://gcaptain.com/maritime/blog/tag/hawaii_superferry

Alakai, the first vessel to be built and delivered to Hawaii Superferry by Mobile's Austal USA, arrived at Lambert's Point Docks Inc. on Tuesday, while its sister ship, Huakai, is scheduled to leave late this week and arrive in Norfolk the middle of next week, according to Susan Clark, MARAD spokeswoman.

They had been moored at Mobile's Atlantic Marine shipyard, which is owned by former U.S. Navy Secretary John Lehman. Lehman was until May the primary investor in the Hawaii Superferry venture...

Clark said MARAD is now weighing all its options for the ferries, which include sale or charter.

She said the ferries are being moved "for insurance purposes" as hurricane season gets under way. She could not say if the Navy planned to look them over while they're in Norfolk...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that the Pentagon would like to lease two high-speed ferries to fill the gap before the first of the JHSVs is built. When asked if the Hawaii Superferry vessels were candidates, a Navy acquisitions official told industry publication Defense News this week that they were...