Operational Fitness

The organization chart and resume filed as part of Sea Planes' application demonstrate that the company has assembled a capable and well-qualified management team that includes, among others, the former Chief Executive Officer of protestant Catalina. On staff are various consultants in safety, vessel and terminal design, and other disciplines critical to the establishment of this service.

Although it has no vessels at present, Sea Planes plans to have four new vessels built at a cost of approximately $14 million apiece if it obtains the necessary capital from investors and lenders. These vessels will be built to Sea Planes' specifications, meet all applicable Coast Guard and other standards, and in general represent the state of the art. Until the first of these is built Sea Planes' intends to charter a vessel to provide the service, and has included in its application a letter from Catamaran Boat Co., LLC, of Freeland, Washington, which contains a firm offer to charter a 450-passenger vessel pending delivery of the new boats. Sea Planes has also furnished evidence that it is well along in securing a site and designing an adequate terminal facility at Marina Del Rey. There is already a ferry dock at Avalon, which is implicit in the City of Avalon's letter to the Commission. In view of these facts we find that Sea Planes is operationally fit to operate the proposed vessel service.