Construction Underway on New Matson Container Ships
Matson has marked two milestones in its fleet renewal program with the beginning of hull assembly on the second of three new LNG powered "Aloha Class" container ships and the start of construction on its third new vessel at Hanwha Philly Shipyard, Inc. (HSPI) in Pennsylvania.
The three new Jones Act-compliant vessels, representing an investment of approximately $1 billion, will match the size and speed of Matson's two existing Aloha Class ships, Daniel K. Inouye, and Kaimana Hila, which entered service in 2018 and 2019, respectively, as the largest container ships ever constructed in the U.S.
Matson expects to receive the first new vessel in the first quarter of 2027 with subsequent deliveries in the third quarter of 2027 and second quarter of 2028, respectively.
With a carrying capacity of 3,600 TEU, the 854-foot Aloha Class vessels are designed to operate at speeds in excess of 23 knots. They will replace three vessels currently deployed in Matson's Hawaii and China-Long Beach Express services.
HPSI is a U.S. commercial shipyard constructing vessels for operation in the domestic Jones Act trade lanes. Prior to Matson's current Aloha L Class project, the shipyard delivered four Jones Act container ships for Matson between 2003 and 2006, and two additional container ships in 2018 and 2019, which were the first Aloha Class vessels.