Cargo Business Newswire

Monday, October 5, 2015

Matson announces production of container ships for Hawaii service

Matson, Inc. announced the start of production on two new "Aloha Class" containerships designed specifically for Hawaii service, with greater capacity and green technology features. After a small ceremony at Aker Philadelphia Shipyard in Pennsylvania, the cutting of steel plates began, initiating the construction work to build both ships.

In 2013, Matson subsidiary Matson Navigation Company, Inc. signed a contract with Aker Philadelphia Shipyard to build the two new ships for an aggregate price of $418 million. The new vessels will be delivered in the third and fourth quarters of 2018.

The 850-foot long, 3,600-TEU vessels will be Matson’s largest ships and the largest Jones Act

containerships ever constructed. They will also be faster, designed to operate at speeds in excess of 23 knots, helping ensure timely delivery of goods in Hawaii.

The new vessels will incorporate a number of "green ship technology" features, including a more fuel efficient hull design, dual fuel engines that can be adapted to use liquefied natural gas, environmentally safe double hull fuel tanks and fresh water ballast systems.

Matson says the first of the two new ships will be named after the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye, a longstanding supporter of the U.S. maritime industry and its role in supporting Hawaii’s economy.