Last summer, Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard Inc.’s ship came in when it got its first paying customer — Matson Navigation Co.
Now, the Norweigan-based company’s ship has set sail with the Sept. 8 completion and delivery of the first of two 600-foot-plus cargo ships contracted for the San Francisco-based firm. Matson shelled out $220 million for the vessels.
The M.V. Manukai, which will ferry cargo between Southern California and Honolulu, is the first new ship to be built at the Philadelphia Naval Business Center since 1969 and the first ship to be built by KPSI, said Jennifer Whitener, spokesperson for Kvaerner.
Matson’s first new vessel since 1992 was built under the U.S. Jones Act, which requires that vessels used to transport cargo and passengers between U.S. ports be owned by U.S. citizens, built in U.S. shipyards and operated by U.S. citizen crews.
"This marks a tremendous milestone for Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard," said Gunnar Skjelbred, president and CEO of KPSI. "We are all proud to see the ship completed and ready to enter service with Matson. We have proved that we can build quality ships. This success is a result of the cooperation between KPSI, our union [The Philadelphia Metal Trades Council], our suppliers and, most importantly, our workers."
After a series of sea trials, Margaret Inouye, wife of Hawaii Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, christened the vessel in South Philly on July 12. In Hawaiian, the ship’s name means "bird of the sea," said Whitener.
The vessel’s maiden voyage commences Oct. 1 from Los Angeles to Honolulu. One of eight ships deployed in Matson’s service between the West Coast and Hawaii, the M.V. Manukai will haul a broad range of commodities from grocery and retail supplies, refrigerated cargo, building materials and other items necessary for the Hawaiian economy.
At the helm of the ship is a woman.
Seattle resident Katharine Sweeney has been sailing professionally since 1990; M.V. Manukai is the sixth vessel that the Tucson, Ariz., native has sailed as the master.
Meanwhile, construction of the second containership for Matson has been underway since before the M.V. Manukai hit the water, said Whitener. And the vessel even has a name — M.V. Maunawili — which means "winding mountain."
The second ship will be delivered to Matson in 2004, Whitener said.
Finding its first customer in Matson Navigation was key to KPSI’s future. Now the shipyard is comfortably afloat, constructing a third containership being marketed to potential buyers in the Jones Act market, the spokesperson said.
"Shipbuilding has returned to Philadelphia — the city that is home to the birth of this nation, the U.S. Navy and now U.S. commercial shipbuilding in the 21st century," Whitener said.
In other port news, the Delaware River Port Authority announced the start of its fall cruise season with the return of the Celebrity cruise ship Horizon.
The Horizon’s arrival on Aug. 31 marked the first time the vessel has sailed on a regular basis from Philly since 1999, said My Linh Nguyen, spokesperson for the DRPA. Departing on Sundays only, Horizon is running cruises to Bermuda before closing the fall cruise season with an Eastern Caribbean sail on Oct. 19.
This fall, Philadelphia is hosting 17 cruises from five major lines: Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Lines and Holland America Line.
Next year, 22 cruises are scheduled to sail from the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier 1, located inside the Naval Business Center, Nguyen said.
Luring the cruise industry to these parts did not come easy — or cheap.
The Port of Philadelphia and Camden has invested $15 million over the last five years in upgrading the capabilities of the terminal at Pier 1.
Last year, the DRPA created CruisePhilly as a new marketing brand and way to distinguish this city as a premier cruise stop to both customers and cruise line executives. Also in 2002, the Port of Philadelphia and Camden teamed up with the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. in an aggressive campaign to attract cruise lines to the region.
When DRPA approaches the cruise giants, Philadelphia presents itself as a "unified region," with not only a great port and amenities for cruise ships, but also as a tourist destination offering plenty of activities for passengers, Nguyen explained.
Since the late 1980s, cruise ships have drifted in and out of the Port of Philadelphia and Camden. But an effort to secure home-ported cruise vessels has always run aground — until fairly recently.
In 1998, DRPA and the City of Philadelphia took over a Navy Yard building that had been a machine shop and made it into a dedicated cruise terminal.
Later that year, the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier 1 opened as the area’s only dedicated cruise facility. Nguyen explained that a dedicated cruise facility is one specifically designed for cruise ships, as opposed to cargo and other vessels.
"It’s a great amenity for a city to have a cruise ship terminal. It’s a great area for potential growth, it gives us the opportunity to bring people into the city. They may spend a night in a hotel, spend time shopping in the city," she said.
According to Melissa Grimm, director of the Port of Philadelphia and Camden, this year alone, the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier 1 will generate 87 jobs, $5.5 million in business revenue and $2.9 million in employment income. By 2005, the projections more than double.
"This is an exciting time for the Port of Philadelphia and Camden because we’ve spent the last two years investing in our facility and intensifying our marketing, and now those investments are paying off," said Grimm.
For a complete schedule of 2003-04 cruises leaving from Philly, visit or call the Port of Philadelphia and Camden at 856-968-2048.
