Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania began construction on the first of three Aloha class LNG-powered containerships to be built for Matson, Inc. The ships are designed for its Hawaii and China-Long Beach Express (CLX) services, according to the company’s release.
After a small ceremony at Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania, the cutting of steel plates began, initiating the work to build the ships for delivery to Matson in 2026 and 2027.
Representing an investment of around $1bn, the three new Jones Act-compliant vessels will be built to match the size and speed of Matson’s two existing Aloha class ships, Daniel K. Inouye and Kamina Hila, which were also built by Philly Shipyard and entered service in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The first vessel is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2026 with subsequent deliveries in 2027.
The 3,600 teu vessels are designed to operate at speeds in excess of 23 knots.
The 854-foot Aloha class vessels will also be equipped with dual fuel engines designed to operate on either conventional marine fuels or liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as other “green ship technology” features, such as a fuel-efficient hull design, environmentally safe double hull fuel tanks, and freshwater ballast systems.
While the earlier ships required some modification to operate with LNG, the new ships will be delivered LNG-ready.
“Our existing Aloha Class ships are among the fastest, most efficient vessels in the Matson fleet,” said Matt Cox, chairman and chief executive officer.
“And like their sisterships, these three new vessels will help Matson achieve its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal while also providing additional capacity and speed benefitting our Hawaii service as well as the CLX.”
The three new Aloha class ships will replace three vessels currently deployed in Matson’s Hawaii and CLX services.
Matson plans to name the three new containerships Makua, Malama, and Makena.
