YB Shipping Schedule Changes Due to Hurricane Lester

Young Brothers barge, file photo by Wendy Osher.

As Hurricane Lester approaches the Hawaiian Islands, Young Brothers will be determining its impact upon company sailings to and from the neighbor islands.

The company will reference the most recent forecasts available and obtain guidance and direction from the United States Coast Guard and the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation.

All Young Brothers port operations and sailings are subject to port closures and other direction provided by the USCG, Captain of the Port, as well as the DOT. Updates will be issued on operations for each port of call as they may be affected by the storm.

Schedule Changes:

Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 Scheduled Sailings:

• Honolulu to Kawaihae: Sailed.  The barge sailed on Thursday afternoon and will arrive on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016. The Kawaihae port will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for pickup of all cargo. No outbound cargo will be accepted in Kawaihae for load back to Honolulu due to the likely port closure associated with the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Lester.

• Honolulu to Kahului: Sailing to proceed. The Thursday Honolulu to Kahului sailing, will be limited to straight load dry and reefer containers only – no hazardous containers. The Port of Kahului will be open on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No outbound cargo will be accepted in Kahului for load back to Honolulu due to the likely port closure associated with the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Lester.

• Honolulu to Nāwiliwili: Sailing to proceed. The Thursday Honolulu to Nāwiliwili sailing will be limited to straight load dry and reefer containers only – no hazardous containers. The Port of Nāwiliwili will be open on Friday, September 2, 2016, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No outbound cargo will be accepted in Nāwiliwili for load back to Honolulu due to the likely port closure associated with the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Lester.

Friday, Sept. 2, 2016 Scheduled Sailings:

• Honolulu to Hilo: Sailing to Proceed. In anticipation of Hurricane Lester passing Hawai‘i Island by Saturday evening and the USCG Captain of the Port opening the waterways, our barge will sail Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, to arrive on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. To avoid the storm, our barge will arrive at the port via the southern route to Hilo. This route will entail a substantially longer transit time, and, for this reason, this sail will be limited to straight load dry containers only (i.e., no refrigerated containers). No new or additional reservations will be taken at this time. Containers must be received in Honolulu on Friday by 11 a.m. The Port of Hilo will be open on Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• Honolulu to Kaunakakai (Moloka‘i): Sailing to proceed. In anticipation of Hurricane Lester passing Maui County on Saturday evening and the USCG COTP opening the waterways, our barge will be sailing from Honolulu on Friday evening away from the path of Hurricane Lester, with a scheduled arrival at the Port of Kaunakakai on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. All types of cargo will be accepted, except hazardous cargo, livestock, automobiles, and roll-on/roll-off cargo. All cargo must be received in Honolulu on Friday by 11 a.m. No new or additional reservations will be taken at this time. The Port of Kaunakakai will be open on Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The Port of Honolulu will be closed on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, ahead of the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Lester.

Monday, Sept. 5, 2016 Scheduled Sailings:

• Honolulu to Kawaihae, Kahului, and Nāwiliwili: All Sailings to Proceed.  In anticipation of Hurricane Lester passing the Hawaiian Islands by Sunday, all Monday sailings will proceed as scheduled. Cargo for the above sailings will continue to be limited to straight load dry and reefer containers only – no hazardous containers. No new or additional reservations will be taken at this time. All cargo must be received in Honolulu on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, by 2 p.m. No livestock, hazardous cargo, palletized or mixed cargo, and automobiles or roll-on/roll-off equipment will be accepted. Cargo restrictions are necessary so we can load our barge in Honolulu in a safe and timely fashion ahead of the likely closure of the Port of Honolulu associated with the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Lester.

Sailing Schedule for Remainder of the Week.

Young Brothers will be providing further updates as they receive updated weather forecasts. All cargo acceptance and sailing schedules are subject to change pending direction by USCG COTP. Updated information on Hurricane Lester will posted on the company website. Young Brothers anticipates removing all cargo restrictions and returning to regular sailing schedule starting Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016.

The company encourages its customers to visit the Young Brothers website for updates throughout the day.