SAN DIEGO, Nov. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Matson,
Inc. (NYSE: MATX), a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific,
today announced the start of production on two new combination
container and roll-on/roll-off ("Con-Ro") vessels for its
Hawaii fleet that are scheduled
for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2019 and second quarter of
2020, respectively. After a small ceremony at General
Dynamics NASSCO's shipyard in San
Diego, the cutting of steel plates began, initiating the
construction work to build both ships.
Matson is calling these vessels the "Kanaloa Class" in honor of
the ocean deity revered in the native Hawaiian culture and will
name each of the new vessels after predecessor ships from its
135-year history. 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.
The Kanaloa Class vessels are being built on a 3,500 TEU vessel
platform, which is 870 feet long, 114 feet wide (beam), with a deep
draft of 38 feet and enclosed garage space for up to 800 vehicles
or breakbulk cargo. In addition, the new vessels will have
state-of-the-art green technology features, including a fuel
efficient hull design, environmentally safe double hull fuel tanks,
fresh water ballast systems and dual-fuel engines, meaning that
they will be able to operate at speeds up to 23 knots on either
conventional fuel oils or liquefied natural gas ("LNG") with some
adaptation for LNG. These advancements are important to
Hawaii as a means to reduce fuel
consumption, and will result in significant emissions reductions
over time.
"Construction of these new ships underscores Matson's commitment
to serve Hawaii with the largest,
most reliable and environmentally friendly vessels for the
long-term," said Ron Forest,
President. "The Kanaloa Class is designed specifically to
meet Hawaii's freight demands
while reducing our environmental impact and improving our
efficiency for decades to come."
General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General
Dynamics is a leading U.S. shipyard constructing vessels for
the U.S. military and for commercial operation in the Jones Act
market.
* Twenty-foot Equivalent Units, the standard unit of measurement
for container capacity
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this news release that are not historical facts
are "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including without
limitation those statements regarding vessel delivery dates.
These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contemplated by the relevant forward‑looking statement, including
but not limited to risks and uncertainties relating to the
occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could
give rise to the termination of the agreement for the Kanaloa Class
vessel construction; the ability of the shipyard to construct and
deliver the Kanaloa Class vessels on the contemplated timeframes;
regional, national and international economic conditions; changes
in general economic and/or industry‑specific conditions; the impact
of future and pending legislation, including environmental
legislation; government regulations and investigations; repeal,
substantial amendment or waiver of the Jones Act or its
application, or our failure to maintain our status as a
United States citizen under the
Jones Act; and the occurrence of marine accidents, poor weather or
natural disasters. These forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future performance. This release should be read
in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other
filings with the SEC through the date of this release, which
identify important factors that could affect the forward-looking
statements in this release. We do not undertake any
obligation to update our forward-looking statements.
About Matson
Founded in 1882, Matson (NYSE: MATX) is a
leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific. Matson
provides a vital lifeline to the economies
of Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Micronesia and
select South Pacific islands, and operates a premium,
expedited service from China to Southern
California. The Company's fleet of 22 owned vessels and five
chartered vessels includes containerships, combination container
and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed
barges. Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends
the geographic reach of Matson's transportation network throughout
the continental U.S. Its integrated, asset-light
logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage,
warehousing, and less-than-container load freight consolidation and
forwarding to Alaska. Additional information about the
Company is available at www.matson.com.
Investor Relations
inquiries:
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Media
inquiries:
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Lee
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Keoni
Wagner
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Matson,
Inc.
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Matson,
Inc.
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510-628-4021
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510-628-4534
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jholland@matson.com
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kwagner@matson.com
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SOURCE Matson, Inc.