Photo by Ken Sakamoto
The Kukahi, Hawaiian Tug & Barge Corp. and Young Brothers Ltd.'s
new barge, arrived at Honolulu Harbor with the companies' new
tug boat, Mamo, on board yesterday. The vessels will be
used in interisland shipping of autos.

Cost for the two vessels is about $9 million.

The new barge, Kukahi, has a roll-on, roll-off covered auto deck which will help keep sun, salt air and water off the vehicles, said Lisa Sakamoto, vice president for finance and government affairs for the companies.

"The new (automobile) ramp sits underneath the deckhouse (the forward position of the barge) and will carry 75 to 80 automobiles," Sakamoto said.

Other barges carry automobiles on racks - three to a rack, and stacked five automobiles high - and exposed to the elements, she said.

The new modern barge will be used on shipments to Kahului, Maui. The barge it is replacing will be transfered to the Big Island and used as a backup barge, she said.

With the addition of Kukahi, Young Brothers now has nine barges.

The Young Brothers shipment schedule will not change, Sakamoto said.

The new harbor tug, "Mamo", will be added to the fleet of Hawaiian Tug & Barge which includes four tugs and two barges.

Mamo is a 3,200 horsepower "tractor tug" that can rotate 360 degrees and has more versatility than other kinds of tugs, Sakamoto said. Mamo will be the second tractor tug for Honolulu Harbor.

Young Brothers carries as many as 300 automobiles a week between the islands, she said.

Hawaiian Tug & Barge and Young Brothers are subsidiaries of Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. and have been providing interisland freight service in Hawaii since 1913.