This 27-foot long vessel, the Kuleana, will be home ported in Hilo. Photo courtesy Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation.

(BIVN) – Four Security and Disaster Recovery vessels will be ported at Hilo, Kawaihae, Nawiliwili, and Kahului Harbors, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation Harbors Division reported on Thursday, in time for the ongoing 2020 Central Pacific hurricane season.

Hilo Harbor will have the 27-foot long Kuleana vessel, while Kawaihae will be home to the Kokua vessel. According to the HDOT:

The four aluminum monohulled vessels were designed in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and come equipped with portable side scan sonar for the assessments. The total cost for the vessels was $1.4 million, which was paid for through the Harbors Special funds supported by tariffs and fees from the movement of cargo.

“After a hurricane, tsunami, or earthquake, one of the first steps in getting our commercial harbors back up and running to support the delivery of needed supplies is underwater surveys to make sure there are no obstructions that could cause damage to the ships and barges that make our State’s hub and spoke system possible,” said Hawaii Department of Transportation Director Jade Butay in the media release. “These vessels will enable us to do the surveys quickly and accurately.”

“Delivery of the Kuleana, Kokua, Kalewa, and the Ke Aliʻi O Ke Kai improves our emergency operations capabilities significantly,” said Hawaii Department of Transportation Deputy Director for Harbors Derek Chow. “Although we hope we won’t need to use them this hurricane season, it’s important to us to have the tools to ensure our commercial harbors can support safe navigation and the mooring of vessels post disaster.”