Matson Christens 'Makua,' First Vessel in New Aloha Class, at Hanwha Philly
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Matson christened the 'Makua' on October 10 at Hanwha Philly Shipyard, the first of three new Aloha-class containerships the carrier is building under the Jones Act. The vessel is part of a fleet renewal program valued at approximately $1 billion being carried out by the Philadelphia shipyard under its South Korean ownership.
Ceremony and Attendees
The christening ceremony brought together about 300 people, including shipyard workers, union leaders, company executives, and federal officials. Matson board member Jenai Wall performed the traditional champagne bottle christening, in a ceremony attended by U.S. Maritime Administration Deputy Administrator Mark Johnson and Lieutenant General Jered P. Helwig, deputy commander of U.S. Transportation Command.
Technical Specifications
The 'Makua' has a length overall of 850 feet (260 meters), a capacity of 3,600 TEUs, and a deadweight of approximately 51,000 tons, with 408 reefer plugs. The vessel features dual-fuel engines ready to run on conventional marine fuels or LNG, along with an efficient hull design, double-hull fuel tanks, and freshwater ballast systems. Its top speed is approximately 24 knots.
Deliveries and Deployment
Delivery of the 'Makua' is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, while its sister ships 'Malama' and 'Makena' will arrive in the third quarter of 2027 and the second quarter of 2028, respectively. The three vessels will replace ships currently deployed on Matson's Hawaii and China-Long Beach Express services, and those displaced vessels will in turn replace older ships on the Alaska service.
Shipyard Context
The new vessels follow the design of the existing Aloha Class ships 'Daniel K. Inouye' and 'Kaimana Hila,' also delivered in Philadelphia in 2018 and 2019, which were recently converted to run on LNG. The christening comes as Hanwha, which acquired the former Philly Shipyard in late 2024, expands its commercial order book and advances other projects such as training vessels for the Maritime Administration and the new instrumentation ship for the Missile Defense Agency.
