Mama: Does the Superferry have any connection to the Stryker Brigade?

Garibaldi: Absolutely not!

Court told delay would hurt Alakai's military usefulness

Hawaii Superferry's Alakai has considerable military utility that could be diminished if ferry operations are delayed, a federal maritime official has said.

Sean Connaughton, the administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration, said in a declaration in Maui Circuit Court last week that the Alakai could be used by the military because of its speed and cargo capacity.

The federal maritime administration approved $140 million in loan guarantees for the construction of the Alakai and a second ferry.

Connaughton said the Alakai has been approved for inclusion in the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement program, which provides the military access to commercial sealift capacity in times of war or national emergency.
[...]
Some Superferry opponents believe the Alakai and a second ferry could be used to transport the Army's Stryker brigade vehicles.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration approved $140 million in loan guarantees for Superferry in January 2005 on the condition that the state give all governmental and environmental clearances, including confirmation that there was no need for an environmental assessment of port facilities.
[...]
Pressure to meet conditions of the federal loan guarantees helps explain why Superferry executives, at crucial moments over the past two years, have insisted that an environmental assessment — and the chance it could lead to a more thorough environmental impact statement — would endanger the project. The federal loan guarantees were for the construction of the Alakai and a second ferry being built and cover most of the $180 million cost.