A Hawaiian blessing ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. today for the "Maka'ala" the newest Young Brothers Ltd. inter-island freight barge.

The barge, the second of four new barges Young Brothers ordered as replacements for older barges in its inter-island cargo service, will depart on Sunday for Kawaihae on the Big island.

The new barge cast nearly $12 million and has a cargo capacity of 8,600 tons.

It is the third time a a Young Brothers vessel has carried the Maka'ala name, which means alert and vigilant.

Her sister barge, the Ho'omaka Hou, began service between Honolulu and Nawiliwili in November.

These additions to the Young Brothers' fleet are part of a $186 million investment announced in 2006 to provide greater benefits and service to customers across the state, Young Brothers officials said.

"The Maka'ala and her sister vessels represent a new generation of barges,which are modern, fuel-efficient and environmentally sensitive," says Glenn Hong, president of Young Brothers, in a news release. "These new barges will allow us to carry 40 percent more cargo per voyage than the barges that they replace, allowing us to readily meet the needs of our customers and the future growth needs of our state."

"Moreover, with the rising cost of energy and increasing environmental concerns over the sustainability of all of our activities, this ability to reduce our carbon footprint, by transporting more cargo per gallon of fuel consumed, is both timely and essential to the economic lifeline we provide to the people of Hawaii. The hull design for the new barges provides for less resistance at the waterline, resulting in faster towing speeds and conservation of fuel consumed by the towing tug," he said.

The new barges' internal ballast system, which levels the barge forward and aft, and from port to starboard, uses fresh

water and no discharge is pumped into the ocean. This means that there is no ballast water transportation of invasive species into the aquatic environment from one port to another, according to the news release.

The 3,175-ton Maka'ala was built in Portland by U.S. Barge, a joint venture between Oregon Iron and Vigor Industrial. Young Brothers has contracted U.S. Barge to provide two more barges of the same design over the next year. A third vessel, the Kala'e Nalu, is scheduled to be delivered in November, with a fourth barge to be delivered in April.

All of the barges are being constructed on Swan Island in Oregon, a shipyard that built "victory" ships during World War II.

Young Brothers provides inter-island cargo service throughout Hawai'i with ports in Honolulu, Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i, Kaua'i, Hilo and Kawaihae. Visit Young Brothers at www.youngbrothershawaii.com.