Matson christens second LNG-ready vessel at Philly Shipyard

Matson, US ocean transport and logistics services provider, has christened the second of two Aloha Class LNG-ready containerships.

Matson said on Monday that the vessel was named at a ceremony at Philly Shipyard on Saturday, March 9.

The new vessel, named Kaimana Hila, is the sister ship to Daniel K. Inouye which was christened in June 2018 and went into service in November that year.

The two 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 will put into its Hawaii service during the next 18 months.

Weighing in at over 51,400 metric tons, the 850-foot long and 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.