Matson Christens First of Three Newbuild Containerships

On Saturday October 10, M.E.B.A.-contracted company Matson, Inc. celebrated the christening of the first of three new containerships being constructed for the company at Hanwha Philly Shipyard.

At the ceremony, Matson board member Jenai Wall officially christened the vessel MAKUA by breaking a ceremonial bottle of champagne against the ship’s hull before a gathering of approximately 300 attendees including U.S. Maritime Administration Deputy Administrator Mark Johnson, Matson and Hanwha executives, shipyard workers and union leaders including M.E.B.A. President Adam Vokac, MM&P President Don Josberger, SIU President Dave Heindel, MFOW President Anthony Poplawski and ARA President Kelly Anderson. Upon its delivery in the first quarter of 2027, the vessel will enter Matson’s China-Long Beach Express (CLX) and Hawaii services. The two permanent M.E.B.A. Chief Engineers serving on the vessel, who were present at the ceremony, are Chris Bollinger and Kegan Irvine. Member Travis Ellis is serving as Port Engineer at the yard.

Representing an investment of approximately $1 billion, Matson’s three new Jones Act-compliant vessels are being built to match the size and speed of Matson’s two existing Aloha Class ships, DANIEL K. INOUYE and the KAIMANA HILA, which were also built at the shipyard in Philadelphia, PA and set a new standard for cargo transportation in Hawaii when they entered service in 2018 and 2019, respectively, as the largest containerships ever constructed in the U.S.

Weighing in at over 51,400 metric tons, Matson’s 850-foot long and 3,600-TEU-capacity Aloha Class containerships are also Matson’s fastest vessels, with a top speed of nearly 24 knots, helping ensure on-time deliveries in Hawaii and industry-leading transit times from Asia to the U.S. West Coast. Like their sisterships, the new vessels will be equipped with dual fuel engines designed to operate on either conventional marine fuels or liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as other “green ship technology” features, such as a fuel-efficient hull design, environmentally safe double hull fuel tanks, and freshwater ballast systems. While the earlier ships required some modification to operate with LNG, the new ships will be delivered LNG-ready.

The three new ships will replace three vessels currently deployed in Matson’s Hawaii and CLX services. The second ship, MALAMA, is scheduled to be delivered in the third quarter of 2027, and the third, MAKENA, is expected in the second quarter of 2028.

“We look forward to putting MAKUA to work serving our customers early next year,” said Matt Cox, 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.”

Matson's original ships named MAKUA, MALAMA, and MAKENA were all freighters commissioned by the United States Shipping Board (USSB), an emergency agency established by the 1916 Shipping Act to increase the number of U.S. ships supporting the war effort during World War I. They were purchased by Matson in the 1920s and remained active in the Matson fleet for the next two decades. MAKUA is a Hawaiian word for parent, elder, ancestor, or family.

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