By Alfred Acenas
EBC Hawaii Bureau
HONOLULU (Eagle News) – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) Harbors Division will defer the scheduled three-percent tariff increase on the orders of Governor David Ige on Thursday, June 25. The tariff increase was scheduled to take effect on July 1 and would have been applied to port entry fees, vessel dockage, wharfage, pipeline tolls and other fees associated with cargo and passenger operations at the State’s commercial harbors.
“Our economy relies heavily on the movement of goods through our commercial harbors,” said Ige. “As part of our economic recovery efforts, I’ve directed HDOT to defer scheduled tariff increases. This will allow local shippers and businesses, especially those on the neighbor islands, to conduct business without worrying about a rate increase at this time.”
“State Harbors are financially self-sustaining through the collection of tariffs from those using our infrastructure,” said HDOT Director Jade Butay. “Thanks to the foresight of our Harbors Division staff, we are able to support the governor’s deferral without negative impact to our harbors modernization and other infrastructure improvement projects.”
The Harbors Division has restricted its program costs and is currently 20% under budget. In March, Fitch Ratings affirmed the “AA-” rating for Harbors Revenue Bonds and rated the outlook for these bonds as “stable.”
HDOT Deputy Director for Harbors Derek Chow added, “Financial discipline and management controls will continue to govern our projects. Together with our federal, state, county, and private sector partners, we can weather any storm.”
Hawaii’s commercial harbor system is comprised of Nawiliwili and Port Allen Harbors on Kauai; Honolulu and Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbors on Oahu; Kahului Harbor on Maui; Kaunakakai Harbor on Molokai; Kaumalapau Harbor on Lanai; and Kawaihae and Hilo Harbors on Big Island. More information on harbor tariffs and fees can be found at https://hidot.hawaii.gov/harbors/doing-business/.
(Eagle News Service)