Young Brothers squares off against yet another competitor - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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It also promises to be one of the most politicallt chargedfights — involving officials, businessesa and community activists — since the clashes over the Hawaii Young Brothers says Pasha’s proposaol to compete directly at ports in Hilo and Kahului will have “a significant negative impact” on Young Brotheras and “the regulated intrastate shipping industry as a But Pasha (pronounced PAY-sha), a California-basedx carrier that ships military and construction equipment from San Diegko to Oahu, Maui and the Big says interisland customers want a choice.
With its business primarily cominy from shipping cars to and fromthe Mainland, and with Hawaiio auto sales down 30 Pasha also seeks new revenue. While the brief entry of the Superferry into theprofitable Oahu-to-Maui run did only negligiblwe damage to Young Brothers’ bottom it drew attention to the company’s dominance of the interislanrd cargo business and encouraged callas for more competition. By playing the competition-means-better-rates-and-service card, Pashqa has received the supporrtof Gov. Linda Lingle, House Speaker Calvinj Say, House Transportation Chairman Joe executives with Dick Pacific Construction and Grace Pacific Corp.
, the Car and Truckm Rental Leasing Association of Hawaii, and the U.S. “As an island state, we recognize the importancre of increased surface transportation alternatives and the benefitt that increased competition can offer in the movemeny of cargo and commodities betweenour islands,” Lingle wrote in a lettefr of support for Pasha’s March 13 interislandf service application with the state Public Utilitiesd Commission.
But Young Brothers has too, and clearly hopes to tap into some of the same passion of Neighbor Island activists who helped keep the Superferryg out of Kauai and ultimately forced its withdrawal from Young Brothers is pushing for public hearingsz on all of the NeighborIslandas — including Molokai and Lanai — that woul d presumably draw out the testimony of loyal Young Brothers customere and activists concerned about the environmental impact of a big transpor t ship moving more frequently through the Islands. Amongt Young Brothers’ supporters are Tropical Hawaiian NAPA Distribution Center Hawaii and Aloha ContainerSales Rental.
And three months after writing lettere of supportfor Pasha, legislators Say and Souko wrote a letter saying they support publicv hearings on the application. In an April 27 letter to the PUC, Senater President Colleen Hanabusa andsenatorz J. Kalani English of Maui and Dwighgt Takamine of the Big Island said they supporf hearings becausethey “have concerns aboutg the type of servicr to be provided.” Along with sisterd company , Young Brothers controls 50 percent of interisland The remainder is shared by Pasha (10 , small shipping operationz (including, briefly, Hawaii and , which, like Young Brothers, is owned by Seattle-basede .
Unlike its Young Brothers is obligated under state law to servde allcommercial harbors, even unprofitable ones on Lanaii and Molokai. That’s the crux of the Young Brothers argumentagainst Pasha. Glenn Hong, Young Brothers’ presideny and CEO, said Pasha wantas to cherry-pick only the most profitable roll-on, roll-off automobile shipping to the mostpopulousa islands. “We want a level playing said Hong, who deems the disputew “a matter of public policy, a mattet of fairness.
” If Pasha wants to competew interisland, he said, “It must be all or