Shipping company Pasha Hawaii has taken delivery of a new natural gas-powered containership.
The vessel, named MV George III, was built by Texas-based Keppel AmFELS and was delivered to Pasha Hawaii on July 28. It runs on Liquefied Natural Gas, and Pasha Hawaii said it’s the first of two gas-powered containerships that it will add to its fleet to serve the Hawaii-Mainland trade lane.
The MV George III will begin service this month, and the second vessel, the Janet Marie, is slated for delivery later this year.
Both are Ohana Class vessels measuring in at 774 feet. The company said that each of the vessels cost $215.8 million.
According to Pasha Hawaii — which is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Pasha Group, a Jones Act shipping and integrated logistics company — the MV George III attains energy efficiencies with a state-of-the-art engine, an optimized hull form, and an underwater propulsion system with a high-efficiency rudder and propeller.
“In addition to providing increased capacity to our customers, we also see the launch of MV George III serving as a new environmental standard for future ship building,” George Pasha IV, president and CEO of The Pasha Group, told PBN in an email.
“By operating on natural gas from day one, George III will surpass the International Maritime Organization 2030 standards for ocean vessels with close to zero sulfur emissions, a 99.9% reduction in particulate matter, a 90% reduction in nitrogen oxide and 25% reduced carbon dioxide as compared to liquid oil fuels.
“We have already made a tremendous investment in LNG fueling infrastructure, which will produce significant environmental benefits. We are focused on continuing to develop LNG fueling infrastructure to provide greater resources for LNG fueling,” he added.
With the addition of the MV George III, the Pasha Hawaii fleet now includes five containerships, one roll-on/roll-off vessel that’s designed to transport cars and other wheeled cargo, and one combination containership/roll-on roll-off.
