Jones act 2

Following on from the delivery of the 2,6000TEU boxship MV Manukai from Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard (KPSI) to the San Francisco-based Matson Navigation Company, as reported in The Motor Ship in October 2003, a second vessel has now been delivered. The MV Maunawili ? a CV2600 Philadelphia Class containership is the second vessel to be built at Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard located in the former Philadelphia Naval Base.

Hawaii service

The vessel will be the second of eight ships deployed in Matson’s service between the West Coast and Hawaii. Matson’s

Hawaii service

includes the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, and Honolulu.

Soon after delivery, the ship will depart on its positioning voyage down the Atlantic coast and through the Panama Canal to California where it will enter service between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. The ship, once in service, will carry a broad range of commodities including grocery and retail supplies, refrigerated cargo, building materials, and all items necessary for the economy in Hawaii.

The $220 million contract for the two Jones Act containerships, which are a part of the Title XI financing program, was signed in May 2002 between KPSI and Matson.

The start of steel cutting began on March 22, 2002, the first block was in dock on April 17, 2003, the vessel was launched on May 15, 2004, the vessel was christened on July 17, 2004, sea trials took place in July 2004 and the ship was delivered on July 30, 2004. The yard just recently moved forward from its start-up phase focusing on the recruiting and training of local workers to its full production phase focusing on the construction of the ships.

The vessel was built by the yard together with a large number of turnkey and other suppliers to outfit the ship with the most state-of-the-art equipment. The classification society of the MV Maunawili is the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and it sails under the American flag. n