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…
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.
Maxed-out Hawaii Coast Guard seeks Navy Aid
According to reports, stretched by the Kauai flood disaster and other missions, Coast Guard capabilities are nearly maxed out and the service is asking the Navy to help, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said. The Coast Guard had a full plate even before the disaster. Its aircraft have been performing interisland air ambulance services since the crash on Maui last week of a plane operated by Hawaii Air Ambulance. The Coast Guard has been scouring the seas off Kilauea since Tuesday, when a dam collapse let loose a torrent of floodwaters that left seven people missing. Coast Guard crews found an unidentified male later that day about a mile offshore. The body of a female was found in a streambed yesterday afternoon.
Matson to Convert Containership
Matson Navigation Company, Inc. (Matson) has begun the first conversion of one of its C-9 containerships, MV Mokihana, to a combination roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) and container vessel to further strengthen its Hawaii service capabilities. With the conversion, the vessel will have ro-ro and container capacity comparable to two vessels in Matson's service today, the dedicated ro-ro vessel Great Land and the containership S.S. Lihue. The new garage will have the capacity to carry 1,350 vehicles. The plan is part of a multi-phase program that began in 2003 and is designed to provide Matson's auto customers with the two service features they prefer: frequency of service and ro-ro capacity.
