Matson welcomes its largest and fastest vessel 

Lurline arrives at the Honolulu Harbor on Jan. 15 to take its place as the newest, largest and fastest ship in Matson’s fleet. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

GUAM—Matson Inc., a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, celebrated the inaugural service of the Lurline, the largest combination container/roll-on, roll-off ship built in the U.S., on Jan. 17 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Lurline arrived at the Honolulu Harbor on Jan. 15 to take its place as the newest, largest and fastest ship in Matson’s fleet. 

Lurline will service the Hawaii market from Matson’s U.S. mainland ports, improving reliability and efficiency in the region that will ultimately benefit customers in Guam. Much of Guam’s cargo is relayed in Honolulu.  

Lurline, an iconic name in Matson’s long history, dates to the construction of Capt. William Matson’s first ship of that name in 1887. At 870 feet long, 114 feet wide (beam), with a deep draft of 38 feet and weighing in at over 50,000 metric tons, Lurline is Matson’s largest ship and the largest con-ro vessel ever constructed in the U.S. It will also be one of Matson’s fastest vessels, with a top speed of 23 knots, helping ensure on-time deliveries in Hawaii from Matson’s three West Coast terminals in Seattle, Oakland, and Long Beach. This Kanaloa Class vessel has an enclosed garage with room for approximately 500 vehicles plus ample space for rolling stock and breakbulk cargo. It also features state-of-the-art green technology, including a fuel efficient hull design, environmentally safe double hull fuel tanks, fresh water ballast systems and the first Tier 3 dual fuel engines to be deployed in containerships serving West Coast ports. Under the latest International Maritime Organization requirements for engine manufacturers, Tier 3 engines reduce the levels of particulate emissions by 40% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 20%, as compared to Tier 2 standards. More information on Lurline and Matson’s fleet modernization program is available at: https://www.matson.com/kanaloa-class.html.
 
About Matson

Founded in 1882, Matson is a leading provider of ocean transportation and logistics services.  Matson provides a vital lifeline to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, and to other island economies in Micronesia. Matson also operates a premium, expedited service from China to Southern California and provides services to Okinawa, Japan and various islands in the South Pacific. The company’s fleet of owned and 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, freight consolidation, Asia supply chain services, and forwarding to Alaska.  Additional information about the Company is available at www.matson.com. (PR)