The carrier said it expects to spend more than $30m on new equipment that was planned by Horizon prior to the acquisition. Upgrades to equipment to be made over the next three months include 2,000 new standard 40-foot dry containers for general cargo, a 65-ton gantry crane for Kodiak Terminal, 430 insulated containers for winter operations, and two Kenworth tractors for container positioning at the Anchorage Terminal. Matson said it has also scheduled work to install new exhaust-scrubber systems on the three former Horizon D7 Class vessels it now operates in Alaska, with each vessel entering dry dock for three months sequentially. The new equipment will help the ships to comply with the latest federal emissions regulations, and virtually eliminate all sulfur dioxide and particulate emissions, Matson said. The line will deploy a reserve containership during the installation period to prevent any disruptions to its twice-weekly service from Tacoma to Anchorage and Kodiak, and weekly service to Dutch Harbor. Modifications to all three ships are expected to be completed by December of 2016.

Read Full Article