• 18 Mar 2019

With a ceremony at Philly Shipyard on Saturday March 9,  the US ocean transport and logistics services provider Matson has christened the second of two Aloha Class LNG-ready containerships;  the new vessel, named Kaimana Hila, is the sister ship to Daniel K. Inouye which was christened in June and went into service in November 2018.

Both the ships were built for Honolulu-based Matson by Philly Shipyard at a total cost of approximately $418 million for the pair and are the first of four new vessels that Matson plan to put  into its Hawaii service during the next 18 months.

Matt Cox, Matson's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, at the shipyard ceremony said

"Daniel K. Inouye has performed well in its first four months of service, and we are excited to have Kaimana Hila joining it soon. These new vessels herald the beginning of a new era in our Hawaii service and will allow us to serve our customers better than ever for decades to come." 

Weighing in at over 51,400 metric tons, the 3,600 TEU capacity Kaimana Hila and Daniel K. Inouye are Matson’s largest ships and the largest containerships ever constructed in the US. They are also Matson’s fastest vessels, with a top speed of nearly 24 knots.

Also, both vessels have dual-fuel engines that can be adapted to use liquefied natural gas, double hull fuel tanks, fresh water ballast systems, and fuel-efficient hull design.

Source: Matson