The state's largest interisland cargo service says it has run out of room at Kahului Harbor.

Young Brothers Ltd. has asked the state for permission to discontinue noncontainerized cargo service to and from the Maui harbor.

If approved by the Public Utilities Commission, the service would end Jan. 1.

However, several commercial freight consolidators want to step in to meet the needs of Young Brothers' customers who ship goods under the category "less than container load." Consolidators such as Island Movers and Honolulu Freight would bundle smaller loads into a large enough shipment to fill a container.

Young Brothers president Glenn Hong said discontinuing noncontainerized cargo service would free up space at the harbor, which has become more congested because of Maui's strong economy and next year's planned start of Hawaii Superferry operations.

"We don't have many choices, since we've already exceeded capacity at the port," Hong said. "Moving the consolidation services off site is the only viable solution."

Young Brothers vice president and general manager Vic Angoco said ending the service wouldn't lead to a loss of employment.