Matson christens first of three ships in $1bn Philly yard order

Matson has christened the first of three containerships from a roughly $1 billion order at Hanwha Philly Shipyard, with the 3,600-TEU Makua slated for delivery in the first quarter of 2027 and deployment on its core Hawaii and China–Long Beach Express services.

The 850-foot vessel, christened Oct. 10 by Matson board member Jenai Wall, will run at a top speed of nearly 24 knots. Matson (NYSE: MATX) says the three new Aloha Class ships will replace vessels now deployed on the two trade lanes while adding capacity, efficiency and reliability. Those are promises, not yet performance — none of the ships enters revenue service before 2027.

"We look forward to putting Makua to work serving our customers early next year," Chairman and CEO Matt Cox said in the company's announcement. "We're excited that adding three new Aloha Class ships to Matson's fleet over the next 18 months will improve operating efficiencies and reliability, and increase capacity in our core Hawaii service, as well as our China-Long Beach Express service."

What does the order include?

• Three Aloha Class vessels at approximately $1 billion total, all Jones Act-compliant.
• Makua: delivery Q1 2027; sister ship Malama: Q3 2027; third vessel Makena: Q2 2028.
• Capacity of 3,600 TEU each, 850 feet long, top speed near 24 knots.
• Dual-fuel engines able to burn conventional marine fuel or LNG, delivered LNG-ready.
• Fuel-efficient hull designs, double-hull fuel tanks and freshwater ballast systems.

The LNG-ready delivery marks a technical step forward from Matson's existing Aloha Class pair, Daniel K. Inouye and Kaimana Hila, which entered service in 2018 and 2019 and needed modifications to burn LNG. Both were also built at the Philadelphia yard, which delivered four earlier Matson containerships between 2003 and 2006.

Why the shipyard link matters

Roughly 300 people attended the christening, including shipyard workers, union leaders, Maritime Administration Deputy Administrator Mark Johnson and U.S. Transportation Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Jered P. Helwig, who spoke. The presence of Transcom and Marad officials underscores the national-security weight attached to Jones Act construction at a yard now owned by South Korea's Hanwha.

"Today's christening of Makua is especially meaningful because Matson has been part of the story of this shipyard from its earliest days," Hanwha Philly Shipyard CEO David Kim said. "Our partnership spans generations of vessels and reflects a shared commitment to American shipbuilding and the U.S. maritime industry."

What it means for shippers

For Hawaii shippers, the program defends domestic capacity on a lane where Jones Act rules bar foreign-flag competition. For trans-Pacific cargo moving on the China–Long Beach Express, the newbuilds hold out the prospect of younger tonnage and steadier schedules once deliveries begin — though the actual uplift in reliability will only be measurable after all three vessels are in the water by mid-2028.

The name revives a Matson tradition: the original Makua was one of three freighters the carrier bought in the 1920s, and the word means parent, elder or ancestor in Hawaiian.

Matson's capacity bet lands in a market where China-driven demand has already lifted its results, and the carrier will be watching whether that strength holds through the 18-month delivery window.