Matson takes delivery of first Aloha class vessel

US-based ship operator Matson took delivery of the first of two new Aloha Class containerships built for the company’s Hawaii service at Philly Shipyard on October 31.

Christened Daniel K. Inouye in honour of Hawaii’s late senior US senator and World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the vessel is the largest containership ever built in the United States.

Weighing in at over 51,400 tonnes, the 259-metre, 3,600TEU Daniel K. Inouye is Matson’s largest ship and also its fastest, with a top speed in excess of 23 knots.

The ship will embark on its 4,603-nautical mile, 13-day maiden voyage to Oakland, California, via the Panama Canal on Wednesday, November 7, before entering commercial service on November 22.