Post by ferryfast admin on Feb 27, 2006 23:42:50 GMT -5
EDITOR'S NOTE: Since there is a serious shortage of fast ferry news articles, we hope you don't mind a success story in containership manufacturing. j^c^b
Posted on Mon, Feb. 27, 2006
First Philadelphia-built cargo ship on maiden voyage
By Henry J. Holcomb
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Philadelphia-built cargo ship Manulani is near Kiska Island in the Pacific Ocean today, midway on the first voyage of a new China-to-Long Beach express service.
The 712-foot-long vessel is one of four built at the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard that will be used in the new service of Matson Navigation Co.
Matson, the U.S.-flagged ocean carrier founded in 1882, was the first customer of the Philadelphia shipyard, formerly called Kvaerner, built on the site of the old Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Its orders helped revive the region's once-powerful shipbuilding industry.
The shipyard is completing the fourth Matson vessel, the Maunalei, and building the first two of 10 tankers that it has agreed to lease to Overseas Shipholding Group Inc., of New York. OSG said this month that it will charter its first two Philadelphia ships to BP P.L.C., the London-based energy firm.
The new Matson service carries cargo westbound from Long Beach, Calif., to Hawaii and Guam, then goes to two ports in China - Ningbo and Shanghai - to load for the 11-day nonstop voyage back to California.
The Philadelphia ships, which carry the equivalent of 2,600 20-foot-long cargo containers, are much smaller than the ships of Matson's rivals, some of which carry 9,000 of the truck-size boxes.
Matson, the ocean cargo unit of Alexander & Baldwin Inc., of Honolulu, touts that this smaller size and Matson's terminal facilities in Long Beach will allow faster service for time-sensitive cargo. Larger ships make more stops to fill up, take longer to load and unload, and often encounter delays waiting to dock in increasingly congested ports, Matson says in selling its service.
Revenue from Matson's westbound cargo to Hawaii and Guam will allow it to price the new service competitively and create "an exciting new growth opportunity," said James Andrasick, Matson president and chief executive officer.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia-built Maunawili was in China yesterday loading for the second voyage of the new service.
Contact staff writer Henry J. Holcomb at 215-854-2614 or hholcomb@phillynews.com.
Posted on Mon, Feb. 27, 2006
First Philadelphia-built cargo ship on maiden voyage
By Henry J. Holcomb
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Philadelphia-built cargo ship Manulani is near Kiska Island in the Pacific Ocean today, midway on the first voyage of a new China-to-Long Beach express service.
The 712-foot-long vessel is one of four built at the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard that will be used in the new service of Matson Navigation Co.
Matson, the U.S.-flagged ocean carrier founded in 1882, was the first customer of the Philadelphia shipyard, formerly called Kvaerner, built on the site of the old Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Its orders helped revive the region's once-powerful shipbuilding industry.
The shipyard is completing the fourth Matson vessel, the Maunalei, and building the first two of 10 tankers that it has agreed to lease to Overseas Shipholding Group Inc., of New York. OSG said this month that it will charter its first two Philadelphia ships to BP P.L.C., the London-based energy firm.
The new Matson service carries cargo westbound from Long Beach, Calif., to Hawaii and Guam, then goes to two ports in China - Ningbo and Shanghai - to load for the 11-day nonstop voyage back to California.
The Philadelphia ships, which carry the equivalent of 2,600 20-foot-long cargo containers, are much smaller than the ships of Matson's rivals, some of which carry 9,000 of the truck-size boxes.
Matson, the ocean cargo unit of Alexander & Baldwin Inc., of Honolulu, touts that this smaller size and Matson's terminal facilities in Long Beach will allow faster service for time-sensitive cargo. Larger ships make more stops to fill up, take longer to load and unload, and often encounter delays waiting to dock in increasingly congested ports, Matson says in selling its service.
Revenue from Matson's westbound cargo to Hawaii and Guam will allow it to price the new service competitively and create "an exciting new growth opportunity," said James Andrasick, Matson president and chief executive officer.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia-built Maunawili was in China yesterday loading for the second voyage of the new service.
Contact staff writer Henry J. Holcomb at 215-854-2614 or hholcomb@phillynews.com.