US shipping firm Matson has taken delivery of the second Kanaloa Class LNG-ready con-ro ship Matsonia.
The combination container / roll-on, roll-off vessel follows sister ship Lurline that entered operations in January this year. General Dynamics NASSCO delivered both of the ships.
According to Matson, the two are the largest vessels of their kind in the US.
Matsonia and Lurline are each 870 feet (265 meters) long, 114 feet wide, with a deep draft of 38 feet and weighing in at over 50,000 metric tons.
The sister ships have an enclosed garage with room for approximately 500 vehicles, but also ample space for rolling stock and breakbulk cargo.
Furthermore, these vessels join two new containerships, Daniel K Inouye and Kaimana Hila in completing the renewal of Matson’s Hawaii fleet.
The four new ships are the centerpiece of Matson’s nearly $1 billion investment to modernize its Hawaii service, the firm says.
Additionally, all four of the new ships feature green technology, including fuel-efficient hull design, double hull fuel tanks, LNG compatible engines, and freshwater ballast systems, Matson said.
The more recent Kanaloa Class vessels feature the Tier 3 dual-fuel engines, first to power containerships regularly serving West Coast ports, it said.
Tier 3 engines reduce the levels of particulate emissions by 40 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 20 percent, as compared to Tier 2 standards, according to Matson.