Horizon Lines will install cleaner engines on ships
Horizon Lines Inc. will upgrade two of its container ships that serve Hawaii with cleaner-burning engines, the company said Tuesday.
The new engines, capable of burning diesel or liquefied natural gas, will be more efficient and produce fewer emissions than the existing steam turbine engines that use bunker fuel.
The two ships are the Horizon Spirit and the Horizon Reliance, which operate between the West Coast and Hawaii. The company plans to eventually retrofit its entire fleet with new engines, said Mike Avara, chief financial officer of the North Carolina-based shipping company. Horizon expects to begin work in January 2015 and finish by early 2016. Horizon has “spare” ships that will fill in on the Hawaii route while the retrofitting work is done.
Queen’s might acquire Waimea hospital
The parent company of the Queen’s Medical Center is exploring the possible acquisition of the North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea, Queen’s said Tuesday.
The due-diligence process into the physical and regulatory requirements will last three to four months, said Queen’s spokesman Cedric Yamanaka. Queen’s has had a clinical affiliation with the Waimea hospital since 2005.
"If given the opportunity, we would dedicate ourselves to serving the people of North Hawaii with the same standard of excellence that has been the foundation of our founders’ values and vision." said Art Ushijima, Queen’s president, in a statement.
"We are very encouraged about the possibility of a formal affiliation with the Queen’s Health Systems," said Bob Momsen, chairman of the NHCH board of directors since 2008. "Affiliating with Queen’s will dramatically improve our ability to fulfill our mission."
North Hawaii Community Hospital, which opened in May 1996, is a 33-bed acute-care hospital which serves more than 30,000 patients. It offers 24-hour emergency services and has 376 employees and 68 active physicians.
Last year Queen’s acquired the closed West Oahu hospital previously operated by bankrupt Hawaii Medical Center.
Isle utilities focus on cutting emissions
Officials from Hawaii’s two electric utilities say they are already working toward the goals outlined by President Barack Obama on Tuesday to limit carbon pollution from fossil-fuel power plants.
"We’re committed to implementing solutions to comply with all federal and state regulations governing emissions from our facilities. Key to that is increasing renewable energy to reduce fossil fuel use," according to a prepared statement from Hawaiian Electric Co. The utility estimated that more than 18 percent of the electricity it generates this year will come from renewable sources, ahead of its goal of 15 percent by 2015.
On Kauai a flurry of solar, biomass and new hydroelectric projects either completed or on the drawing board are projected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 50,000 tons, or 19 percent, by 2020, according to the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. The island is already home to a 6-megawatt solar facility, the largest in the state. Two more 12-megawatt solar photovoltaic projects are in the pipeline.
The Honolulu-based Blue Planet Foundation welcomed Obama’s announcement. "In Hawaii we pay twice for the oil our power plants burn — once to import it and again for each pound of carbon absorbed into our atmosphere and ocean," said Blue Planet CEO Jeff Mikulina. "Establishing limits to carbon pollution addresses this cost, creating greater accountability for our fuel choices and encouraging a more responsible energy future."
USS Arizona Memorial a top U.S. landmark
Honolulu’s USS Arizona Memorial is third among the top 10 U.S. landmarks, according to the Travelers’ Choice Attractions awards announced by TripAdvisor.com.
This is the inaugural year for the awards, which name 1,263 of the world’s top landmarks, museums, parks and other visitor attractions.
The Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas ranked No. 1 on the list, while Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pa., was No. 2.
The Arizona Memorial was Hawaii’s only entry among the top 25 attractions in the U.S. The Arizona Memorial had 4,220 reviews written about it. The reviewers gave it an average 4 1/2 stars out of a possible 5. It is ranked the No. 1 attraction in Honolulu out of 143 attractions.
On the Move
Hawaiian Airlines has appointed Kevin Imanaka director of internal and corporate communications. He is responsible for overseeing and managing the strategy for communicating with more than 5,000 Hawaiian employees. Imanaka has 23 years of experience in corporate communications.
Hawaii Information Service, a local real estate technology company, has announced that Faith Geronimo has been appointed its chief executive officer, effective this Monday. She was previously the company’s vice president of operations and general manager.
