Bigger cranes, fewer ships

Bigger ships, bigger cranes. That much will be obvious from a glance at the docks, once the new Matson barges and cranes are all in place.

What is less visible? Their basic newness, and dependability, said a spokesman for the shipping company. Because Hawaii has such limited warehousing space, most things we use here go straight from the docks to the store shelves.

Also: Matson will use fewer, larger ships — leaving less of a carbon footprint. But reliability, Matson says, is what counts most.

Good news from a copter crash

A ton of admiration goes out to the pilot of the helicopter that went down Tuesday morning in a remote section of Sacred Falls State Park in Hauula. The chopper lost power soon after picking up a trio doing fieldwork — but thanks to the pilot’s skill, all four walked away from the crash. State photos from the site showed the downed aircraft among trees; both its main and tail rotors were severed from the fuselage, one passenger described.

“It’s just really a miracle,” a state official said. All four survivors surely agree.