Matson, Inc., a U.S. carrier in the Pacific, and Greenbrier Gunderson Marine christened and launched a new flat-deck container barge in a ceremony at the Greenbrier Gunderson Marine shipyard in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, April 23, 2022.
The new barge, christened ‘Haleakala’ in honour of the landmark crater on the island of Maui, will be deployed in Matson’s Neighbour Island service in Hawaii starting this summer, connecting cargo to and from the U.S. West Coast through its hub terminal in Honolulu.
Public launch ceremony
With a carrying capacity of 620 TEU* and room for 72 refrigerated containers, the new Haleakala is double the size of the older barge it is replacing and will increase the efficiency of Matson’s service to the neighbour islands. At 362 feet long, 105 feet wide (beam), with a deep draft of 17.3 feet and a capacity of more than 12,000 metric tons, it will be Matson’s largest barge.
In remarks during the public launch ceremony, Matson Senior Vice President Vic Angoco said, “The launch of this new vessel symbolises Matson’s long-standing commitment to serving our communities in Hawaii – in fact, as of this month, it has been 140 years of service to the islands since Capt. Matson himself first sailed between San Francisco and Hilo, Hawaii.”
Remote island communities
Matson has invested more than $1 billion in new vessels and infrastructure at its hub terminal in Honolulu
“And it’s just the latest example of Matson continuously investing in its services in order to fulfil our commitment to keeping the necessities of everyday life flowing to our remote island communities.”
In recent years, Matson has invested more than $1 billion in new vessels and infrastructure at its hub terminal in Honolulu to support its Hawaii service. Matson invited Evelyn Angoco, wife of Senior Vice President Vic Angoco, to christen the vessel by breaking a ceremonial bottle of champagne against its hull. Immediately after the bottle was broken, the vessel was released from its building ways and slid sideways into the Willamette River. Haleakala was then docked at Greenbrier Gunderson’s nearby testing and trials berth, where the final stages of construction will be completed.
Supporting Hawaii service
"It has been a pleasure working with Matson in the construction of the company’s largest barge to date. The successful launch celebrated both Matson and Greenbrier’s dedication to our communities.”
“We are proud to support the movement of goods throughout the Hawaiian Islands and continually strengthen the United States Jones Act fleet," said Richard Hunt, General Manager of Greenbrier Gunderson. Matson is expected to take delivery of the barge in late May. Construction of the new vessel began on June 24, 2021.
