Yards Moving Forward - GL Group

Mary ‘Mildred’ Akaka, wife of Hawaii Senator Daniel
Akaka, christened the ship at the Aker Philadelphia
yard. And actually, the rain was a good omen:
President and CEO of Matson Navigation James Andrasick
explained that in the Hawaiian tradition rain is a sign of good
luck and prosperity. In the meantime, the vessel has departed
from Philadelphia and has successfully begun its Hawaii-
Guam-China service alongside its sister vessels “Manukai”,
“Maunawili” and “Manulani”.
Strong Demand for Container Service
Japan, China and Germany are the top three maritime
trading partners of the United States. Maritime transportation
accounted for more than three quarters of the 1.6 billion tons
36 nonstop 3/2006
Licence to Class
It was a rainy Saturday in July and the US shipowner Matson Navigation had invited
guests to the christening ceremony of their newest 2,500 TEU container vessel, classed
by Germanischer Lloyd, US flagged and named “Maunalei” (“Mountain Flower”).
of goods traded between the United States and other countries
in 2001. Americans are buying more imported merchandise
than ever before, and more of the goods produced in US
factories are bound for export. Los Angeles, Long Beach and
Oakland: Three of the top five container ports in the United
States are on the West Coast. The growth of these ports reflects
the increased trade with the Pacific Rim countries.
The frequent visits of large container vessels are mirrored
in the ship inspections Germanischer Lloyd provides in the
United States. “Every third container ship in service worldwide
is classed with Germanischer Lloyd and every other container
ship newbuilding is constructed to our rules,” Stephen
Gumpel, Germanischer Lloyd’s Area Manager North America,
sums up the demand. Class surveys are especially requested
on the West Coast, but Germanischer Lloyd surveyors are