San Diego-based shipbuilder, General Dynamics NASSCO started construction on the second Kanaloa-class LNG-ready containership for Matson Navigation Company.
The construction of the Matsonia kicked off with the first cut of steel at the shipyard where the construction of Lurline, the first vessel in the pair, has already passed the 15 percent mark.
Both ships will transport containers, automobiles and rolling stock between the West Coast of the United States and Hawaii, NASSCo said in a statement.
The ship design incorporates liquefied natural gas-capable main and auxiliary engines, which are compliant with Tier III emission requirements.
Future installation of an LNG fuel gas system can be accommodated on the 870-foot-long, 3,500 TEU platform combination container and roll-on/roll-off (Con-Ro) vessels.
Construction of the first ship for Matson, Lurline, is scheduled to be complete in the fourth quarter of 2019. Matsonia is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2020.
NASSCO partnered with DSEC on the ship design and shipbuilding technologies for the Matson vessels.