HONOLULU (April 26, 2022) – Matson, Inc. (NYSE: MATX), a leading 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 honor of the landmark crater on the island of Maui, will be deployed in Matson’s Neighbor Island service in Hawaii starting this summer, connecting cargo to and from the U.S. West Coast through its hub terminal in Honolulu.
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 neighbor islands. At 362 feet long, 105 feet wide (beam), with a deep draft of 17.3 feet and 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 symbolizes 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. And it’s just the latest example of Matson continuously investing in its services in order to fulfill 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.
"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.
More information on Matson’s fleet modernization program is available at: https://www.matson.com/leading-hawaii-service-into-the-future.html
* Twenty-foot Equivalent Units, the standard unit of measurement for container capacity
About Matson
Founded in 1882, Matson (NYSE: MATX) is a leading provider of ocean transportation and logistics services. Matson provides a vital lifeline to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, and to other island economies in Micronesia. Matson also operates premium, expedited services from China to Long Beach, California, provides service to Okinawa, Japan and various islands in the South Pacific, and operates an international export service from Dutch Harbor to Asia. The Company's fleet of owned and chartered vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges. Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends the geographic reach of Matson's transportation network throughout North America. Its integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage, warehousing, freight consolidation, Asia supply chain services, and forwarding to Alaska. Additional information about the Company is available at www.matson.com.
About Greenbrier
Greenbrier, headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading international supplier of equipment and services to global freight transportation markets. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures, Greenbrier designs, builds and markets freight railcars and marine barges in North America, Europe and Brazil. We are a leading provider of freight railcar wheel services, parts, maintenance and retrofitting services in North America through our rail services business unit. Greenbrier manages 431,000 railcars and offers railcar management, regulatory compliance services and leasing services to railroads and other railcars owners in North America. GBX Leasing (GBXL) is a special purpose subsidiary that owns and manages a portfolio of leased railcars that originate primarily from Greenbrier's manufacturing operations. GBXL and Greenbrier own a lease fleet of 11,000 railcars. Learn more about Greenbrier at www.gbrx.com.
About Greenbrier Gunderson
Operating from the largest side launch on the west coast, Greenbrier Gunderson's marine division, Greenbrier Marine, has approximately 400 employees. Located on 75 acres along the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, Greenbrier Marine is accessible year-round by oceangoing vessels.