Companies that do business in Hawaii’s harbors say they support a more accurate tsunami warning system such as the one being researched by the University of Hawaii Manoa.
The university is conducting research on a proposed system that would involve installing high-tech global positioning systems on cargo ships to better predict what areas could be impacted by a tsunami and to what extent.
UH began the research after its research ship traveling between Hawaii and Guam in February 2010 detected a tsunami wave caused by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile. The wave the quake caused near the ship was only four inches high and such activity is hard to detect in the deep sea, university officials said.
James Foster, an assistant researcher at UH’s Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, estimated that it would cost less than $15,000 to install the geodetic GPS systems aboard a ship and it could be monitored remotely from shore. He is seeking funding so shipping companies don’t have to eat the costs.
Matson Navigation Co. officials who have met with UH researchers said it is too early to gauge their interest in such a system.
Other shippers with operations in Hawaii called it a good idea.
“It could prepare us much better — we would look into it,” said Reggie Maldonado, general manager of Pasha Hawaii. “It’s definitely a concern for everyone.”
Noting that the existing tsunami warning system is pretty accurate, Glenn Hong, president of interisland shipper Young Brothers, said more data would make it even more efficient. He said accuracy of the data would depend on where the ships were at the time of the tsunami.
Foster said the university wants to test a system on ships within the next 18 months, and he believes a system could be in place on ships within the next three years to augment the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Tsunami Warning Center’s existing buoy system.
“It’s important information for them because it’s a big risk if they have any ships in port,” Foster said.