Matson orders two new Con-Ro ships

Matson Navigation Company has ordered two new Con-Ro vessels for its Hawaii fleet.

The contract for both vessels, which will be built by General Dynamics NASSCO, is worth US$511 million with deliveries scheduled for the end of 2019 and mid-year 2020.

The first vessel will be named ‘Lurline’, the sixth Matson vessel to carry that name, while the second vessel will be its fifth named ‘Matsonia’.

As part of Matson’s new Kanaloa-class vessels, the pair will be built on a 3,500TEU vessel platform which is 265 metres long, 34.9 metres in beam, with a draught of 11.5 metres and enclosed garage space for up to 800 vehicles.

In addition, the new vessels will feature a fuel-efficient hull design, environmentally-safe double hull fuel tanks, fresh water ballast systems and dual-fuel engines. The pair will be able to operate at speeds up to 23 knots on either conventional fuel oils or liquefied natural gas.

The two Kanaloa-class ships will replace three diesel-powered vessels in active service, which will be moved to reserve status.