October 2017
The Jones Act fleet will soon grow by two new vessels, thanks to Pasha Hawaii’s latest investment in the Hawaii-mainland trade. On Aug. 23, the SIU-contracted company signed an order with Keppel AmFELS – a Texas-based subsidiary of Keppel Offshore and Marine – for two new, state-of-the-art liquefied natural gas- (LNG) fueled containerships which will fly the U.S. flag as part of the Jones Act trade.
Construction is already underway on the vessels, with expected deliveries in spring and fall 2020. Each ship will be 774 feet long, with a sailing speed of 23 knots. They’ll each be able to carry 2,525 TEUs. In addition to being fueled by LNG, the hulls of both ships will be optimized using computational fluid dynamics, making them some of the most efficient vessels in the world, according to Pasha Hawaii.
“This contract with Keppel allows Pasha Hawaii to continue to move forward in our commitment to providing the best resources possible for our customers and Hawaii’s shipping industry, while minimizing our environmental footprint,” said George Pasha IV, president and CEO of The Pasha Group. “We are proud supporters of the Jones Act and look forward to working with Keppel’s team of highly skilled shipbuilders.”
In announcing the contract, Pasha Hawaii noted that when compared to conventional fuels, LNG is a much cleaner alternative fuel for shipping and offers significant environmental benefits, including the reduction of up to 95 percent of sulphur oxides, nearly 100 percent of particulate matter, up to 90 percent of nitrogen oxides, and up to 25 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.
Simon Lee, president of Keppel Am- FELS, said, “We are pleased to have been chosen to build these two LNG-fueled containerships … for operation in Pasha Hawaii’s fleet. Keppel O&M is at the forefront of designing vessels that run on LNG propulsion systems and has the experience in LNG vessel conversions as well as the expertise in new-build specialized vessels. We look forward to building these ships which will have a direct impact on American jobs at our shipyard and suppliers across the country.”
Pasha Hawaii is a wholly owned subsidiary of the family-owned global logistics and transportation company The Pasha Group, one of the nation’s leading Jones Act shipping and integrated logistics companies.
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