LIHU'E Kaua'i — The Coast Guard said yesterday that the security zone around Nawiliwili Harbor will be expanded by hundreds of yards to ensure safety with the operation of the Hawaii Superferry.

Federal, state and local officials met with community leaders yesterday to discuss safety measures needed in the event of the resumption of service by the Superferry.

After the meeting, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice-O'Hara said a new security zone will be enforced around the entrance to the harbor, where protesters stopped the Superferry from docking last week.

The new zone is to extend for hundreds of yards around the entrance to Nawiliwili Harbor, Brice-O'Hara said. It will allow safe passage for the vessel Alakai and protect the public, she said.

Rich Hoeppner, of People for the Preservation of Kaua'i, said Coast Guard officials told the group they would be bringing in additional personnel and equipment to keep the harbor open.

Hoeppner said canoe clubs, which practice in the area, and the Nawiliwili Yacht Club, which conducts sailboat races there, objected to the exclusionary zone, "but there was no room for negotiation."

"It's basically going to become a military zone," he said.

During the presentation, Mike Formby, deputy director of the state Department of Transportation Harbors Division, said an environmental assessment will be conducted that encompasses all Hawai'i harbors where the Superferry is planning to provide service, including Nawiliwili.

Formby said it will be up to Circuit Judge Joseph E. Cardoza of Maui to determine whether the Superferry can operate while the assessment is performed.

Service to Kaua'i and Maui remains on hold, with tomorrow the soonest it could resume, a company spokeswoman said.

"Like our Web site says," said Superferry's Lori Abe, "not until Sept. 5 at the earliest for Kaua'i and Sept. 11 for Maui."

Attorneys for People for the Preservation of Kaua'i plan to seek a temporary restraining order in Kaua'i Circuit Court today to halt the ferry. Last week, a Maui judge issued a restraining order against the ferry and set hearings beginning Thursday.

The meeting was organized by Mayor Bryan Baptiste and County Council Chairman Bill "Kaipo" Asing.

"The Coast Guard is tasked with facilitating maritime commerce and now has a plan to do that should the Superferry return," Baptiste said. "It'll take everyone's cooperation to ensure that peaceful protests can occur without jeopardizing the safety of others."

Asing agreed with Baptiste and at the same time expressed support for citizens to protest in a legal manner.

"It is so important that the citizens' right to express their opinions on this issue be preserved, while at the same time assuring this is done in a way that provides for the safety of everyone involved," Asing said.

Representatives of Hui-R, Kaiola Canoe Club, Kaua'i Chapter of the Sierra Club, Kaua'i Marriott Resort and Beach Club, Nawiliwili Yacht Club, Niumalu Canoe Club, People for the Preservation of Kaua'i and 1000 Friends of Kaua'i were among those invited to the meeting to hear presentations made by representatives of the Coast Guard and state DOT Harbors Division.

Staff writer Will Hoover and The Associated Press contributed to this report.