Magic Island Petroleum told boaters in the area that it will close at the end of the month. So, the closest place boaters can fill up is the Keehi Marine Center on Sand Island Road.
Boaters are already finding out. Their one stop shop to get gas, snacks, beverages, and bags of ice will be closing down.
Fuel pumps will be dry by March 15, so boaters won’t be able to fill up by then.
"It’s horrible, this is the best place to get gas. It’s convenient, everybody in this dock here uses these guys for fuel, all the scuba divers before they go on a trip they come here," boater Shad Jones said.
Boaters call it a major inconvenience. They say the Keehi Marine Center is too far out of the way. And for charter boats, that added distance also means an added cost.
"It’s gonna take at least an hour to get there. To get here it takes about 15 minutes, so that’s pretty substantial," charter boat captain Johnny Hernandez said.
The state says a company called Honeybee USA plans to develop the area and will build a wedding chapel as well as a marine center that will include a fueling dock. But boaters wonder how long that will take.
In the meantime, the state plans to set up a fueling truck at least part time so boaters can still fill up before and after the weekends during peak demand.
Workers and boaters say closing the the fueling dock also shuts down a vital part of the boating community.
"This is the place where they come to find out the local gossip or if you’re just arriving from Tahiti or Mexico or Panama and you don’t know where to get something fixed on your boat or how do I get a hold of immigration," store manager Carey Johnston said.
"There’ll never be a place like this ever again never ever again. I can’t even think right now when I think about it it’s sad I hate to see it like the Ala Wai Dry Dock," boater Alberto Oyamoto said.
The Ala Wai Dry Dock has been undeveloped and sitting as an eyesore for years. Boaters are worried that the same might happen to Magic Island Petroleum when it is torn down.
The state points out that the owner agreed to shut down the fueling dock and gave the state a 30-day notice on March 1.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
