Helton welcomes sea gliders, warns against subsidizing them

by Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, June 24, 2026

The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supported a new state law that will make it easier for a company to operate so-called sea gliders for interisland passenger service, but even better would be for state lawmakers to liberalize interisland maritime regulations completely — cargo transport included.

That’s according to Jonathan Helton, policy analyst with the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, who spoke recently with host Johnny Miro of the H. Hawaii Media radio network.

Helton alluded to the federal maritime law known as the Jones Act, which restricts the shipping of goods between U.S. ports nationwide and thus raises the cost of living for consumers in Hawaii.

“You know, Grassroot talks about the Jones Act a lot,” Helton said. “One of the reasons shipping prices are so high from the U.S. mainland is there are only really two carriers that bring things to Hawaii. … [But] if you have more competition in that market, you’re able to see lower prices and better service for everyone.”

He said customers for interisland cargo transportation have access to basically just one company, Young Brothers, “and part of the reason they don’t have any of that competition is because of how hard it would be for any other company to enter the market.”

There is also only one ferry service in Hawaii, between Maui and Lanai. Helton said he welcomed the idea of introducing sea gliders into the mix, and approved that state lawmakers exempted them from the Hawaii Water Carrier Act.

He added it is too early say whether sea gliders will be be financially viable, but in any case, the state should not repeat its mistake of using taxpayer dollars to fund port or other infrastructure improvements for them, as it did for the Hawaii Superferry, which shut down in 2009 after two years in business, and for which Hawaii taxpayers are still paying.

To hear the complete 21-minute conversation between Helton and Miro about the proposed sea glider service, click on the image below.