Gunderson Marine & Iron, Portland, Ore., recently constructed and launched the Makani Loa, a new addition to the fleet servicing the Seattle to Hawaii trade lane.
The 438′x105′x25′ deck cargo barge was “specifically designed for Aloha Marine Line’s every two-week freight service between Seattle and Honolulu,” said John Burdick, president and CEO of parent company Lynden Inc., during the March 2 launch in Portland.
“The Makani Loa is the first launch by Gunderson Marine & Iron since acquiring the company in 2023,” said Dee Burch, president of Gunderson Marine & Iron. “The long tradition of building state of the art barges for Lynden is alive and well.”
“Of the 34 barges that we own and operate, 26 of them were built by Gunderson,” said Burdick. “The craftmanship of Gunderson employees, and their skill in welding and shaping steel, results in a superb vessel that lasts.”
According to designers at the Hockema Group, Seattle, the Makani Loa has a dw capacity of 16,867 short tons and a deck loading capacity of 3,650 psf. The high efficiency hull is built with Hydra-Lift skegs, and is fitted with 22′ high cargo binwalls.
