en.Wedoany.com Reported - U.S. shipowner Matson has achieved two key milestones in its fleet renewal program: hull assembly has officially commenced for the second newbuild LNG-powered "Aloha Class" container ship, while construction has also begun on the third new vessel at the Hanwha Philadelphia Shipyard (HSPI) in Pennsylvania.

The total investment for these three Jones Act-compliant newbuilds is approximately $1 billion. Their specifications and speed will be comparable to Matson's two existing Aloha Class vessels—the "Daniel K. Inouye" and "Kaimana Hila," which entered service in 2018 and 2019 respectively—the largest container ships ever built in the United States. The new ships will have a capacity of 3,600 TEU, a length of 854 feet, and a design speed exceeding 23 knots. Upon delivery, they will replace three older vessels currently operating on the Hawaii service and the China-Long Beach Express (CLX) route.

According to the delivery schedule, the first vessel is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2027, with the subsequent two ships following in the third quarter of 2027 and the second quarter of 2028, respectively. The newbuilds continue Matson's long-standing partnership with HSPI, which previously built four Jones Act container ships for Matson between 2003 and 2006, and delivered the first two Aloha Class vessels in 2018 and 2019.

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