Philly Shipyard begins building new Aloha-class ships

Philly Shipyard held a steel-cutting ceremony Monday to mark the start of construction on the first of three new liquefied natural gas (LNG) Aloha Class container ships to be built for U.S. ocean carrier Matson.

Matson placed the order for three ships worth $1 billion from Philly Shipyard in 2022 following the deliveries of Aloha-class ships Daniel K. Inouye and Kamina Hila from the same yard in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The shipyard also delivered between 2003 and 2006 four container ships to Matson.

“Today we celebrate not only the start of production, but also Matson’s return to Philly Shipyard for our third project together,” said Steinar Nerbovik, president and CEO of Philly Shipyard. “We are very excited to build these next ships, which are expected to help Matson achieve its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions target, an initiative that aligns well with our commitment to people and the planet.”

The first of the new Aloha Class ships are expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2026, with subsequent deliveries in 2027.

The three new ships are 800 feet long and will be the same length as the two existing Aloha Class ships, currently the largest Jones Act container ships ever built. Designed for Mason’s Hawaii and China-Long Beach Express (CLX) services, the 3,600 TEU vessels can carry a variety of container sizes and operate at speeds in excess of 23 knots. The ships will run on conventional marine fuels or LNG and will use other “green ship technologies” such as fuel-efficient hull design, environmentally safe double-hull fuel tanks and freshwater ballast systems. While the previous ships required some adjustments to sail with LNG, the new ships will be delivered LNG-ready.

“Our existing Aloha Class ships are among the fastest and most efficient ships in the Matson fleet,” said Matt Cox, chairman and CEO of Matson. “And like their sister ships, these three new ships will help Matson achieve its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, while also providing additional capacity and speed to benefit our Hawaii service and the CLX.”

Matson has set corporate goals to achieve a 40% reduction in Scope 1 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 and a net-zero reduction in Scope 1 greenhouse gases by 2050.