Young Brothers: Port of Hilo facility reopens

4:56 p.m. update: Young Brothers’ facility at the Port of Hilo has reopened, effective immediately. The Hilo facilities will be open until 6 p.m. today to allow for the pick up of all cargo.

On Monday, regularly scheduled sailing from Honolulu to Hilo arrived at the Hilo port. Young Brothers employees safely discharged all cargo and customers were able to pick up all refrigerated cargo.

The U.S. Coast Guard conducted a routine inspection and found an issue with the fire suppression system at the company’s facility at the port, notifying Young Brothers after its gates closed for the day. Young Brothers immediately developed plans with the Hawai‘i Fire Department to implement temporary mitigation measures to address the malfunction.

Per Coast Guard guidance, Young Brothers did not open its facility Tuesday. Plans for temporary mitigation measures to address the malfunction were subsequently approved by the Coast Guard. ​

Young Brothers’ facility reopened between 2 and 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Young Brothers is working with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Harbors Division to complete long-term mitigation measures.

The shipping company will offer special gate hours from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday for customers to pick up any remaining cargo. Regulated sailing will continue as scheduled, departing Honolulu today and set to arrive Thursday.

There are no changes to the Hilo sailing schedules at this time.

“The safety of our employees and the community is our top priority. We’re grateful to our partners at the state of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Harbors Division, United States Coast Guard and Hawai‘i County Fire Department for coordinating with us to resolve this issue swiftly,” said Nalani Say, director of terminal operations for Young Brothers. “Young Brothers recognizes our critical role in connecting our island communities, and we’re eagerly resuming our operations to move what matters most for Hilo safely and efficiently.”

3:03 p.m. update: Young Brothers’ facilities at the Port of Hilo remain closed until further notice.

Young Brothers has developed plans with the Hawai‘i County Fire Department to implement temporary mitigation measures to address the malfunction in their facilities’ fire suppression system. These plans have been submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard for review.

Young Brothers is also working with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Harbors Division to complete long-term mitigation measures.

Original post: The Port of Hilo is closed until further notice because of a safety concern.

That’s according to a service alert issued Tuesday morning by interisland freight handling and transportation company Young Brothers.

“During a routine inspection conducted by the United States Coast Guard, an issue was identified with the fire suppression system at the Port of Hilo,” says the service alert on the company’s Facebook page. “In the interest of ensuring the safety of our employees and the community, our facilities and the Port of Hilo will be temporarily closed starting today, Dec. 12, 2023, and until further notice.”

The company said it is working with the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Harbors Division and the Coast Guard to mitigate the issue, complete repairs, resume accepting cargo and reopen the port as soon as possible.

“Young Brothers told us that this is not impacting their ability to receive shipments at this time,” said a post on the Facebook page of Hawai‘i County Councilwoman Jenn Kagiwada. “The Coast Guard is addressing the safety concerns …”

The company will provide updates as the situation develops, including announcing special gate hours for cargo availability at the port.

For the most current information on sailing schedule changes and cargo availability, visit the Young Brothers website and sign up for customer notices or follow the company on social media @youngbrothershawaii/@youngbrothershi.

“At Young Brothers, safety and security are of the utmost importance,” the company said, adding it apologizes for any inconvenience this might cause and appreciates the public’s understanding.