Column: Port of Honolulu needs thoughtful development for future

The Port of Honolulu Master Plan — drafted nearly a quarter-century ago — is getting a much-needed update. And while it’s sorely needed, success will depend on three key issues: credibility, implementation and accountability.

Unfortunately, like many plans that sit on shelves, recommendations from the previous plan were not enacted. They are still valid today, and had they been followed, perhaps Hawaii could have avoided costly missteps foretold by its authors.

Honolulu Harbor is the port-of-entry, and the principal commercial port under the state’s hub-and-spoke design. As such, most goods arrive in Honolulu before shipment to neighbor islands.

Under state projections, conditions will worsen as demand increases and more users compete for space in and around the harbor. Even today, Honolulu’s berths, yards and roads get congested by ships, boats, cargo and cruise-ship operations.

To address these problems, the plan is being updated through a process involving harbor users, landowners, government agencies, civic organizations and the general public.

Since master plans are focused on the long term, it will provide a framework to address conditions, opportunities and constraints, future needs and recommendations over the next 30 years. The process can take two years to complete, but early involvement is critical. Perspectives from a diverse constituency are needed to bring credibility and accountability to the process, and to ensure that legislators and the Department of Transportation (DOT) deliver on plan priorities.

Case in point, one only need to look at the previous plan. That plan included recommendations to lessen traffic congestion; to facilitate trucks entering container yards; to dredge basins; to support emergency responders; and even redevelop Ala Wai Harbor.

The previous plan, written a full decade before the Superferry was launched, had recommended an inter-island ferry. Perhaps if proper reviews had been completed between 1997 and 2007, when the last master plan was drafted and the ferry was launched, Hawaii might now have a ferry that operates like so many around the world. In 2017, a proposal to reconsider the ferry was put forth , but DOT’s report recommended otherwise. It faulted the high cost of new pier facilities, but failed to highlight that such facilities had been prematurely sold for pennies on the dollar. It also failed to fully explore possibilities to reacquire a former ferry vessel from a federal agency.

Lastly, and most importantly, the previous plan recommended that Kalihi Channel be reopened. The Port of Honolulu currently operates like a “cul de sac” that causes bottlenecks and complicates scheduling for vessels. Larger ships of the future will exacerbate this condition, and will become more apparent once the billion-dollar Kapalama Container Terminal opens. Nonetheless, this critical recommendation provides a critical “back door” to the port in the event the current entrance is blocked due to a natural disaster, accident or act of terrorism. A closure could last months (or more), and the state’s backup “alternate port” stick cranes could not meet demand. The economic effects on all islands would be devastating.

According to the process for updating the plan, which is being jointly managed by DOT and a private contractor, alternatives will be ranked by stakeholders. However, decisions will generally be made by those who have a seat at the table. To provide comment, send e-mail to info@HonoluluHarborMP.com; a website is at www.honoluluharbormp.com.

In the end, a plan is only as good as its implementation. Morris Chang, CEO of a large semiconductor company, once said, “Without strategy, execution is aimless. Without execution, strategy is useless.” These words should echo loudly, and be emblazoned across the cover of the Honolulu port’s new master plan.

Todd Offutt, a retired Coast Guard commander, served as commercial harbors manager and Oahu district manager, 2013-2016.