Local News

Young Brothers makes recovery sailing to Lanai last week

New mooring system on horizon to aid in bad weather

The Maui News

Dangerous ocean conditions delayed a shipment of goods to Lanai on July 8, though Young Brothers was able to complete a recovery sail to the Port of Kaumalapau within 24 hours.

Gate hours were also extended until 3:30 p.m. July 8 to allow customers to pick up their cargo, according to a spokesperson for the company.

High seas and strong winds have hindered the company's deliveries to Lanai on occasion. In May, local markets and restaurants ran out of some products or closed early after inclement weather delayed the regularly scheduled barge as well as the "recovery barge" to make up for the lost trip.

Young Brothers said it expects to have a new mooring system installed at Kaumalapau Harbor by the fall that will allow the shipping company to safely deliver and pick up cargo in rough weather.

The new mooring system relies on the technology of ShoreTension, which uses the ship's energy to put the right tension on the mooring lines to offset the hazards posed by ocean swells, high winds, passing ships and other potentially unsafe situations.

"When the tension in the line exceeds a preset limit, the system moves out, dampens the motion of the vessel and by doing this stores the energy of the ship's movement," according to ShoreTension. "When the peak loads are over, the ShoreTension heaves in the line with the energy previously stored to bring back the vessel to its initial position."

Young Brothers said the pilot project would be the first of its kind in the nation and that there will be "minimal to no impacts on Young Brothers' operations at the Kaumalapau Port during the project."

The company is spending the summer months upgrading existing infrastructure and preparing to install the new system.