S o close and yet so far away . The phrase is used to describe any number of life’s phenomena— including lost love, as per Hall & Oates—and the words aptly describe the relationship of Hawaii to the other U.S. states and the rest of the world. Admitted to the union as the 50th state on August 21, 1959, Hawaii is by no means last in terms of its economic importance, favorable climate, and popularity. A tourist mecca, the Aloha State is renowned for its beauty, hospitality, and fun in the sun. But it represents much more than that for the state’s 1.4 million residents and its nearly 33,000 employer establishments as well as some 159,000 sole proprietorships. To meet their needs, logistics professionals are challenged to capitalize on the “close” part of the “close and far away” equation. Fortunately for Hawaiians, the professionals meet the test very well indeed. FEEDING THE FLOW “Freight forwarders are critical to the communities and businesses of Hawaii, given the state’s unique location 2,400 miles from the continental United States,” says James Beidleman, president and CEO, Honolulu Freight Service. “Hawaii is one of the most remote island chains in the world,” he adds. “It is also a first-class vacation destination. Transit over water is slower and often impacted more heavily by weather than U.S. mainland shipping. Assets and real estate come at a premium and are scarce, but the expectation for logistic services is greater than most origin/destination combinations.” By relying on a network of asset-based trucking companies, state-of-the-art terminals and warehouses, and logistics technologies that provide detailed, real-time
tracking information, Honolulu Freight Service minimizes disruptions to cargo shipments over land, air, and sea. The challenges facing logistics professionals include reaching the state’s residents spread across eight main islands (among 137 islands in all). At about 750 miles, Hawaii’s ocean coastline is the fourth-longest in the United States, making oceangoing transit a frequent means of travel and shipping. Handling oceangoing cargo to and from Hawaii is a specialty of Aloha Marine Lines (AML), part of the Lynden family of companies providing transportation and logistics solutions in Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and around the world. In fact, Aloha Marine Lines recently added a new barge, the Makani Loa , to its fleet to serve customers in the Seattle- to-Hawaii trade lane. The Makani Loa is a sister Makani Class barge to the Kamakani and Namakani barges that were added to the AML fleet in 2020. The Makani Loa was constructed at Gunderson Marine & Iron in Portland, Oregon, and launched there in early March 2024. The Makani Class barges measure 438 feet long and 105 feet wide with a deadweight capacity of 16,900 tons. They are fitted with high binwalls that help keep freight secure while minimizing the amount of lashing needed for each voyage. COVERING THE DISTANCE Hawaii’s considerable distance from the mainland United States and other major markets poses logistical challenges affecting transportation costs, lead times, and supply chain reliability, notes Paul Talbert, vice president of sales at Approved Freight Forwarders, which offers ocean and air freight, logistics, warehousing, and road transport.
June 2024 • Inbound Logistics 55
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