Quick Guide: A List of Ports in Hawaii and Why Each is Awesome

Also known as Kuloloia (sometimes printed as Kulolia), Māmala, and Ke Awa O Kou (“harbor of Kou,” Kou being the name of the executive officer of Chief Kākuhihewa of Oʻahu), Honolulu Harbor is the central hub for most shipments to and from the Hawaiian Islands.

Almost everything is funneled through Honolulu, with a bulk of that cargo being distributed to stores and warehouses throughout the island of Oʻahu. Each year Honolulu harbor , making it one of the United States’ busiest ports. In fact, the port ranked as the 12th busiest container port in the U.S., according to 2020 statistics from the Department of Transportation.

Approved has three locations on Oʻahu which allow us to manage our clients’ freight with care, no matter where it’s headed.

Kalaeloa means “the long point” in Hawaiian. The population in and around Kalaeloa Barbers Point is on the smaller side—around 2,300 as of the 2020 census.

Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor occupies a critical role in receiving specialized cargo, with facilities such as a coal bulk unloader system and a pneumatic cement pump system. In fact, KBPH has become the second busiest port in the entire state.

With demand only expected to increase, plans are in the works to expand and improve Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor over the next 25 years, as defined in the Kalaeloa Master Plan 2040. We’re looking forward to seeing how this harbor expands in the coming years.

Kewalo means “the calling.” Located in Honolulu’s Kakaʻako District between Ala Moana Beach Park and Kakaʻako Waterfront Park, Kewalo Basin once offered the residents of adjacent Kukuluāeʻo a critical supply of fish.

Today, Kewalo Basin continues to play a similar role, with the harbor used mostly by commercial fishing fleets. It also acts as home base for many tourist charters and excursion vessels. If you’re headed out on a boat tour while on Oʻahu, this is likely where you’ll meet your vessel for the day.

Kahului Harbor is the gateway to the breathtaking Valley Isle, one of the most popular destinations for happy honeymooners and tourists looking for an escape. This man-made harbor features depths of up to 35 feet to accommodate overseas container ships and cruise ships.

Kahului Harbor is also the only commercial harbor on the island. Previously, Hāna Pier on Maui’s east side also acted as a commercial harbor for the island. The Kaeleku Plantation Company shipped bagged sugar out of Hāna Pier for more than 20 years. However, the pier was closed in 2010 and permanently removed in 2016, leaving Kahului to stand alone as Maui’s sole commercial port.

Commercial freight enters this harbor by way of steamship lines like Pasha Hawaii and Matson. Cruise ships unload tourists from Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Almost everything and everyone coming to Maui will make their way through Kahului Harbor. You’ll also find Kahului Airport (OGG) just down the road.

Conveniently, Approved Freight’s Maui terminal is located nearly smack-dab between the harbor and the airport. . This central location makes pick-up and drop-off of ocean freight containers and consolidations a breeze. We offer drayage to and from the port, and can deconsolidate at our modern facility to prep freight for its final destination. We can also get air freight to and from the airport quickly and easily.

In relative size and volume to other ports in Hawaiʻi, Kaunakakai Harbor seems small. But don’t let that deceive you. This port on Molokaʻi is a vital piece of the local economy. The port was built in 1927 by the then-Territory of Hawaiʻi. According to Place Names of Hawaiʻi, the old name for Kaunakakai was Kaunakahakai or “beach landing.”

Commercial freight and cargo, recreational activities, and commercial fishermen all use Kaunakakai Harbor as a hub. The harbor can accommodate interisland barges, liquid-bulk cargo, and a passenger ferry, although the Molokaʻi ferry discontinued operations in 2016.

If you need freight moved to Molokaʻi, Approved Freight can schedule interisland transportation from Honolulu. Although we only directly own assets on Oʻahu, Maui, Hawaiʻi, and Kauaʻi, we maintain partnerships that allow us to offer logistics services to our clients who need items moved to Molokaʻi.

Kaumālapaʻu Harbor is located on the west coast of the island of Lānaʻi, which was once home to the largest pineapple plantation in the U.S. In 1926, the harbor was built by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, a company founded by James Drummond Dole that was the predecessor to the Dole Food Company. They chose this site over Mānele Bay, Lānaʻi’s small boat harbor, because of its closer proximity to Honolulu.

A large majority of Lānaʻi is currently owned by Larry Ellison, who purchased it in 2012. The island operates two Four Seasons resorts as well as the Hotel Lānaʻi, all of which are supplied by Kaumālapaʻu Harbor.

Similar to Kaunakakai Harbor on Molokaʻi,  Kaumālapaʻu is the main commercial seaport for the island, including interisland shipments.

You’ll find Hilo Harbor on the eastern side/windward coast of the Big Island. The origin of the harbor’s name—which it shares with the adjacent town—remains unclear. “Hilo” might have been a reference to the Hawaiian word for the first night of the new moon, or “Hilo” might refer to a famous Polynesian navigator.

Together with Kawaihae Harbor on the leeward/western coast, Hilo Bay keeps the Big Island supplied with everything its residents and business owners need.

The port at Hilo Bay is a full-service commercial center that’s used to dock cruise ships, unload interisland Hawaiʻi freight, and receive international cargo ships and containers. Of the two harbors on the Big Island, Hilo is the busiest.

Approved Freight’s location is just a 15-minute drive from Hilo Harbor, making it simple to dray containers from the port. Our team is in constant contact with our main facility in City of Industry, CA.

On the leeward side of the Big Island, Kawaihae Harbor services the people and businesses in and around Kona. Just beyond a man-made breakwater, you’ll find a great surf spot that breaks in WNW–N swells.

Kawaihae means “the water of wrath,” a name bestowed after a fight broke out in the area over a pool of water. Given Kawaihae’s position on the Big Island’s hot, dry, and sunny coast, it’s understandable that water would be a precious resource worth fighting over.

Logistics providers bring freight into the port at Kawaihae Harbor. Like many of the ports in Hawaiʻi, commercial shipping and charters are the bulk of the activity at Kawaihae. The port benefited from a significant development project, completed in 1959, which created a deep draft harbor and the main breakwater. These improvements opened the door for larger barges to call at Kawaihae.

Approved has its own location and assets in Kona, just down the road from Kawaihae. We also have trucks to complete drayage and delivery, a warehouse and team to transload, and a support center to provide updates along the way.

Just south of Līhuʻe airport, on the magnificent island of Kauaʻi, you’ll find Nāwiliwili Harbor. Nāwiliwili is fed by Hulēʻia Stream, a popular location for paddling and kayaking. Previous to European arrival, Nāwiliwili, which means “the wiliwili trees,” was a place where native Hawaiians farmed taro and gathered fish.

The first two piers in Nāwiliwili Harbor were constructed in 1898, but it wasn’t until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a dredging project in 1930 that Nāwiliwili became a deep draft harbor.

Several other spots on Kauaʻi were considered for development. Nāwiliwili’s natural features, plus its proximity to Honolulu and to sugar production in Kōloa gave it the edge over proposals to further develop Kōloa or Hanapēpē Bay. In fact, Nāwiliwili sits just 96 nautical miles from Honolulu Harbor.

Since 1930, Nāwiliwili has been a busy port for ocean freight and tourist ships. Approved ships consistently to Nāwiliwili on Kauaʻi from our freight terminals on the mainland and Oʻahu.

Nestled on the southern coast of Kauaʻi is the lesser-known of the two ports on the island: Port Allen Harbor. The harbor was previously known as ʻEleʻele Landing until 1909, when the port was renamed in honor of Samuel Cresson Allen, who invested a significant amount of money to expand the port.