General Dynamics NASSCO has started construction on the second ship in a two-ship series of Kanaloa-class containerships for Matson Navigation Company.
NASSCO's San Diego shipyard, where the first ship in the series, Lurline, is 15 per cent complete, hosted the steel-cutting ceremony for Matsonia.
The 265.1-metre, 3,500TEU combination container and roll-on/roll-off (Con-Ro) vessels are capable of transporting containers, automobiles and rolling stock, including trailers, between the west coast of the United States and Hawaii.
The design incorporates LNG-capable main and auxiliary engines, which are compliant with Tier III emission requirements.
Lurline is scheduled to be complete in the fourth quarter of 2019, and Matsonia is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2020.