Under a contract valued at US$1Bn, Philly Shipyard will construct three 3,600-TEU, LNG dual-fuel container ships for Matson Navigation
Among the largest container ships ever built in the US, the first of the three 260-m Aloha-class vessels will be will be delivered in Q4 2026, with subsequent ships handed over in 2027.
The Big Board-listed Jones Act shipowner said the new vessels will be equipped with dual-fuel engines that are designed to operate on either conventional marine fuels or LNG, with other ‘green ship technology’ features such as a fuel-efficient hull design and environmentally safe double-hull fuel tanks and freshwater ballast systems. While the earlier ship
“Our existing Aloha-class ships are among the fastest, most efficient vessels in the Matson fleet,” said Matson chairman and chief executive Matt Cox. “These new Jones Act-compliant vessels will be built specifically for our China-Long Beach Express service, and like their sister ships, are expected to help Matson achieve its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal while also providing additional capacity and speed benefiting our Hawaii service as well as the CLX.”
“Winning this order creates historic backlog for Philly Shipyard, as well as great visibility through 2027 for its shareholders and other stakeholders,” said Philly Shipyard chairman Kristian Rokke. “Long term, it also supports the yard’s vision to deliver quality vessels, while pivoting between commercial and government contracts.”
The contract award further bolsters Philly Shipyard’s current order backlog, consisting of five national security multi-mission vessels for Tote Services and one subsea rock installation vesselfor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. With the latest shipbuilding contract from Matson, Philly Shipyard’s orderbook is now the largest in its 25-year history at over US$2Bn.
Philly Shipyard previously delivered six container ships to Matson including the two Aloha-class vessels, in 2018 and 2019.
s require some modification to operate with LNG, the new ships will be delivered LNG-ready. The box ships have a service speed of 23 knots.
“Our existing Aloha-class ships are among the fastest, most efficient vessels in the Matson fleet,” said Matson chairman and chief executive Matt Cox. “These new Jones Act-compliant vessels will be built specifically for our China-Long Beach Express service, and like their sister ships, are expected to help Matson achieve its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal while also providing additional capacity and speed, benefiting our Hawaii service as well as the CLX.”
“Winning this order creates a historic backlog for Philly Shipyard, as well as great visibility through 2027 for its shareholders and other stakeholders,” said Philly Shipyard chairman Kristian Rokke. “Long term, it also supports the yard’s vision to deliver quality vessels, while pivoting between commercial and government contracts.”
The contract award further bolsters Philly Shipyard’s current order backlog, consisting of five national security multi-mission vessels for Tote Services and one subsea rock installation vessel for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. With the latest shipbuilding contract from Matson, Philly Shipyard’s orderbook is now the largest in its 25-year history at over US$2Bn.
Philly Shipyard previously delivered six container ships to Matson including the two Aloha-class vessels, in 2018 and 2019.
