New Container Barge Launched for Matson
Matson's new flat-deck container barge was christened and launched during a ceremony at the Greenbrier Gunderson Marine shipyard in Portland, Ore. on Saturday, April 23, 2022.The new barge, christened Haleakala, will be deployed in Matson’s Neighbor Island service in Hawaii starting this summer, connecting cargo to and from the U.S. West Coast through its hub terminal in Honolulu.With a carrying capacity of 620 TEU and room for 72 refrigerated containers, the new Haleakala is…
Matson Increases Neighbor Island Barge Capacity
Matson, Inc. said its subsidiary Matson Navigation Company, Inc. has replaced one of its three barges dedicated to serving Hawaii's neighbor island ports with a newer, larger barge that will improve service levels. The container barge Columbia, to be renamed Mauna Loa in honor of the barge it replaces, is now Matson's largest barge. At 360 feet long, with a beam (width) of 100 feet and cargo carrying capacity of 12,600 tons or 500 TEU, it is 12 feet longer and 40 feet wider than the barge it replaces, with the capacity to carry 180 more TEU or nearly 8,000 tons more cargo. Built in 2012 by Gunderson Marine and classified as a Deck Cargo Barge with approximately 33,000 square feet of deck cargo space, the vessel's design enables swifter and more fuel efficient transits.
Honolulu - Neighbor Port Cargo Volumes Flat
Young Brothers, Limited informs that intrastate cargo shipments between Honolulu and six neighbor island ports finished basically flat, experiencing a slight increase of 0.3 percent in the second quarter ending June 30, 2014. “A year ago, the second quarter had significant volume growth, so a flat comparison still signals relative strength in the Neighbor Island economies from our viewpoint,” said Glenn Hong, president of Young Brothers. The April – June quarter marks five successive quarters of positive comparisons in cargo volume, quarter over quarter. The first quarter of 2014 saw a 4-percent rise in volume, while the second, third and fourth quarters of 2013 experienced increases of 4.4 percent, 5.2 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.
Integrated Improvement for Tug
Young Brothers, Ltd.'s tug, the Hoku Ke'a, has returned to service after being fitted with Nautican Research and Development Ltd.'s new Integrated Nozzle and Rudder Units at Foss Shipyards in Seattle. Mark Houghton, Vice-President, Maritime Operations, of Hawaiian Tug & Barge, Young Brothers reports that on the return trip to Hawaii, "the Hoku Ke'a was able to run at reduced r.p.m. and still averaged between 9.5 and 10 knots for the Pacific transit, towing a 340 x 78 ft. barge." This is the first installation of the Nautican Integrated Units on an ocean-going tug. Prior to the conversion, the Hoku Ke'a was fitted with conventional open propellers and rudders. The 108 x 34 ft., 3,900 hp tug's bollard pull went from 88,853 lbs with open propellers to 132,810 lbs with the Nautican Nozzles.
New Mobile Harbor Crane for Kahului
Matson Navigation Company, Inc. (Matson) has completed installation of a new $5 million mobile harbor crane for the port of Kahului on Maui. The new equipment, which is a first for a Neighbor Island port, will strengthen Matson's operations in Kahului by providing a land-based crane for container handling. The crane will complement Matson's container barge service, which utilizes self-equipped rail-mounted cranes, and its roll-on, roll-off service, which, in addition to moving vehicles and other rolling stock, involves discharging and loading containers on chassis via special ramps designed for Matson's vessels. The investment is part of a strategy to improve the overall level of service to and from Hawaii's Neighbor Islands.
