State auctioning off Superferry equipment

LIHUE » The state of Hawaii is auctioning off barges, ramps and other assorted equipment related to a failed Superferry project that planned to shuttle people between the Hawaiian islands.

The Garden Island reported today Opens in a new tab that equipment and harbor improvements that cost the state $40 million are being auctioned off online as one lot through next week.

Spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter of the state Department of Transportation says the state is hoping to get back as much as possible, with an opening bid of $250,000. Sluyter says the bid was set by market conditions.

The equipment includes stairs, ramps, light poles, forklift extenders, crates and chains.

Hawaii Superferry filed for bankruptcy in 2009 after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the law that allowed it to operate was unconstitutional.