HONOLULU -- A Seattle-based company that owns interisland shipping company Young Brothers said it wants to buy Aloha Airlines' cargo business.

A week ago Aloha filed for bankruptcy and said it was in talks to sell some or all of its divisions.

Sources told KITV that at least three entities are in negotiations to buy Aloha's lucrative cargo business. However, Aloha would prefer to sell the entire airline, including its money-losing interisland passenger service, sources said.

Saltchuk Resources of Seattle has been doing business in Hawaii for eight years, since it bought interisland cargo shipper Young Brothers and Hawaiian Tug and Barge. It also owns Alaska's largest air cargo company.

Saltchuk has put in an offer to buy Aloha's cargo service for $13 million.

"We're a company that knows Hawaii. We love the people and we'd like to continue to grow our partnership with the Hawaiian people and the economy," Saltchuk Resources President Tim Engle said.

Engle said while retaining Aloha's cargo employees would be a "goal," he could not guarantee they would keep their jobs and didn't know whether their salaries would be cut if the purchase goes through.

Aloha said its air cargo business is "easily the most profitable" of its four divisions making more than $6 million a year, according to bankruptcy documents.

Experts said $13 million is a low-ball offer for such a profitable business that carries 85 percent of Hawaii's interisland air cargo traffic, including a major U.S. mail contract.

Engle said his company isn't trying to buy Aloha's money-losing inter island passenger service.

"We fly cargo. We have no experience with passenger travel and, consequently, our focus is on the cargo aspect of the business," Engle said.

Aloha has scheduled an auction for April 14 for the bankruptcy court to consider this and other offers for its cargo operation.

At least two other entities are interested in buying Aloha cargo, which has 300 employees -- about 10 percent of the airline's workforce -- as well as six jets, sources said.

"Aloha continues to entertain other bids for all or part of our business," Aloha said a written statement. Company officials would not go into further details.

Sources told KITV United Airlines was close to buying Aloha just two weeks ago, but backed out, concerned about high fuel costs.

Sources also said that a handful other potential suitors, including several airlines, are considering purchasing all of Aloha.

Employees said they do not want Aloha sold off in pieces, leaving behind the less-profitable entities, because that would make it less attractive to potential buyers.