Two Kanaloa-Class ships ordered to complete renewal of Matson's Hawaii fleet
Impression of the Kanaloa-Class Con-Ro vessels (Source: Matson)
The two Kanaloa-Class Con-Ro vessels have an average contract price of US$255.5 million. Matson said the ships will be built on a 3,500-TEU basic vessel platform, which is 265m long, 34.9m wide, and with a draught of 11.5m. However, part of the container carrying capacity will be taken up by an enclosed garage space that will hold up to 800 vehicles, so the ship will actually carry 2,750 TEU. The ships would require some modification for LNG-fuelled sailings, including setting aside space for LNG tanks. The price of US$255.5 million per ship is higher than the two previous Aloha-Class container ships ordered in November 2013 which had an average contact price of US$209.0 million per vessel, said Matson The higher contract price for the Kanaloa-Class vessels is primarily due to the inclusion of a 9,650sq.m roll-on/roll-off garage structure and self-contained stern ramp with capacity to load up to 800 automobiles and other wheeled cargo. In addition, since November 2013 there are more stringent and costly environmental regulations that impact hull form and engine specification requirements, and there has been modest inflation in U.S. shipyard construction costs, Matson said. LNG-capable main and auxiliary engines will be compliant with Tier III emission requirements. The design can also accommodate future installation of an LNG fuel gas system. Once delivered, the Jones Act qualified vessels will sail between the U.S. west coast and Hawaii. Under the terms of the Jones Act, ships operating domestic services between U.S. ports must be built in U.S. yards. Construction of the first ship will begin in early 2018, with deliveries in 2019 and mid-2020. The ships will be constructed at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. NASSCO is cooperating with South Korea’s Daewoo Ship Engineering Company (DSEC) to provide ship design and shipbuilding technologies. Since 2006, the partnership between NASSCO and Daewoo has produced four commercial ship designs for five separate Jones Act owners.
