Matson Inc., Honolulu, christened the first of three new Jones Act containerships at Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc., Philadelphia, on Saturday, the company said.
Matson board member Jenai Wall christened the 850' Makua before about 300 attendees, including U.S. Maritime Administration Deputy Administrator Mark Johnson, Matson and shipyard executives, shipyard workers and union leaders. U.S. Transportation Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Jered P. Helwig also spoke.
Makua is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2027. The second ship in the series, Malama, is due in the third quarter of 2027, and the third, Makena, in the second quarter of 2028. The three vessels represent an investment of about $1 billion.
Each ship will have a capacity of 3,600 TEU and a top speed of nearly 24 knots. They are being built to match the size and speed of Matson’s existing Aloha-class ships, Daniel K. Inouye and Kaimana Hila. Hanwha Philly Shipyard built both vessels, which entered service in 2018 and 2019 as the largest containerships ever constructed in the U.S.
The new ships will have dual-fuel engines that can run on conventional marine fuels or liquefied natural gas. Unlike the earlier pair, which were modified for LNG about five years after construction, the new vessels will be delivered LNG-ready. Other features include a fuel-efficient hull, double-hull fuel tanks and freshwater ballast systems.
The ships will replace three vessels now deployed in Matson’s Hawaii and China-Long Beach Express services, the company said.
“We look forward to putting Makua to work serving our customers early next year,” said Matt Cox, Matson chairman and CEO. “We’re excited that adding three new Aloha-class ships to Matson’s fleet over the next 18 months will improve operating efficiencies and reliability, and increase capacity in our core Hawaii service, as well as our China-Long Beach Express service. And we’re proud that building them here supports hundreds of good-paying shipyard jobs and will provide more than 2,500 job opportunities for U.S. mariners over the lifespan of each ship.”
Hanwha Philly Shipyard delivered four Jones Act containerships to Matson between 2003 and 2006, before the first two Aloha-class vessels.
“Today’s christening of Makua is especially meaningful because Matson has been part of the story of this shipyard from its earliest days,” said David Kim, CEO of Hanwha Philly Shipyard. “Our partnership spans generations of vessels and reflects a shared commitment to American shipbuilding and the U.S. maritime industry. We are grateful for Matson’s continued trust in our people, and incredibly proud of the skill and craftsmanship our workforce is bringing to Makua and the next generation of Aloha-class ships.”
Matson, which has served Hawaii since 1882, names its Hawaii-service vessels with Hawaiian words and reuses names from the early 20th century. The original Makua, Malama, and Makena were freighters commissioned by the U.S. Shipping Board, an emergency agency created by the 1916 Shipping Act to expand the U.S. fleet during World War I. Matson bought them in the 1920s and operated them for about two decades.
Makua is a Hawaiian word for parent, elder, ancestor, or family. Malama means to care for or protect, and Makena means abundance.
