Christening Saturday for Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard’s Third Ship; M.V. Manulani to Join Matson’s Pacific Fleet

Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard (KPSI) on Saturday will be the site for the festive christening of the M.V. Manulani , a new 712-foot, 30,000-ton container ship. The ship is the third of a four-vessel order for Matson Navigation Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: ALEX). The final ship in the order is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2006. Afterwards, both new container ships are expected to play an integral role in Matson’s planned weekly West Coast-Hawaii-Guam-China service. The routing will include port calls at Long Beach, Honolulu, Guam and two ports in China. Participating in the christening will be Guam’s Gov. Felix Camacho and First Lady Joann Camacho (who will officially christen the vessel with the traditional blessing and breaking of the bottle), Hawaii U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, and officials of KPSI and Matson. And, of course, Philadelphia Mummers and Philadelphia’s Tall Ship, Gazzella.

WHEN: 11 a.m., Saturday, May 21

WHERE: Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard at the foot of Broad Street in the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, 2100 Kitty Hawk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19112-1808

COVERAGE NOTES: The christening can be photographed from the ground or air. For security purposes, crews coming to Kvaerner are required to present an authorized Photo ID media credential and check in with gate security. The event will be held rain or shine.

Contact Information

Mike Giantomaso

Media Contact

Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard

Contact via E-mail