U.S. Maritime Administration moves at auction to hold Hawaii superferries itself

Disappeared News’ Larry Gellar blogs about how the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) ended up with the two Superferry vessels for $25 million each after no one bid the $150 million the government was looking for. Gellar also asks a buoyant question:

“Could Hawaii now approach MARAD and buy the ships at a bargain price for service in a new Superferry scheme? Perhaps they could, but that does not change the economics of operating the fuel-hungry vessels in Hawaiian waters.”