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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A container ship that will be the largest ever built in the U.S. has marked a key milestone at the Philadelphia shipyard where it is being constructed.
The first engine room section, weighing more than 400 tons, was lowered into place in a dry dock ceremony Thursday. Officials from Philly Shipyard and the vessel’s owner, Hawaii-based Matson, Inc., placed coins underneath it as part of a shipbuilding tradition supposed to bring good luck.
The vessel is the first of two being built by the shipyard to carry freight to and from Hawaii. It will be named for the late Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye.
The first ship is expected to be completed in 2018 and the second in 2019.