Judge’s ruling puts ferry runs on hold

The state’s only ferry between the islands can’t sail until it shows it won’t harm the marine environment, Maui Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza has ruled in Wailuku.

“The purpose of the law is to protect the environment, not to protect economic interests,” Cardoza said.

The decision may run the state’s first inter-island passenger and vehicle ferry service permanently aground after five years of preparations. The daily ferry to Maui and Kauai from Honolulu had only one successful run to each island before being stopped by the court on Maui and by protesters in the water on Kauai in late August. The ferry owners planned to appeal the latest decision.