The Last Sister: The SS Matsonia Struggles On

(Note: The original article has been modified to include a veteran mariner’s point of view on the varying degrees of readiness among old ships. All comments and dissenting viewpoints are welcome here.)

She’s still steaming. For now. At age 46. And her operator, Matson, has declined to answer a query on how much longer the old girl may labor in the coastal trades.

Four years after her sister, the SS El Faro, sank on October 1, 2015, the SS Matsonia struggles on, the last of the once proud Ponce class of ships.

The ship app Marine Traffic has the SS Matsonia departing Honolulu on September 27 with an expected arrival date of October 2 at Oak Harbor on the mainland. She remains in service in the Hawaii trades – after 42 different Coast Guard inspections in 2017 and 2018. One example of one inspection?

“In accordance with the vessel’s submitted mediation plan to minimize any oil loss from the vessel’s forward strut seal … while underway, the vessel may proceed to Honolulu and return to Oakland to effect permanent repairs. — March 2018.”

Inspections are no guarantee of course and the Matsonia’s hull cracked open this past February, spilling heavy fuel oil into San Francisco Bay. A fracture in the hull was found about 15-feet below the waterline. 

Fresh inspection records are not available on the Matsonia now, but she appears to have again met Coast Guard and ABS standards.

And some are quick to defend Matson as a responsible owner with a good safety record and a plan for bringing new ships online. Says one experienced mariner:

“You cannot compare how MATSONIA was operated and maintained with EL FARO under TOTE. Furthermore, MATSONIA operated in the Hawaii trade its entire life. That had the vessel in port almost as much as it was at sea, allowing for considerable maintenance work to be performed that cannot usually be done on a fast turn around RoRo. Also, there was a shore gang in Honolulu available to work on the ship every call to Honolulu. Much like in humans, one 47 year old is not necessarily the same as other 47 year olds. If one watched their diet, exercised regularly, got adequate rest and did everything in moderation, while the other person is a couch potato, 100# overweight, smokes and drinks to excess, you cannot expect the same life expectancy.”


The Matsonia just needs to keep running for a little bit longer.

Which was the logic of the SS Marine Electric departure in 1983 and the SS El Faro too in 2015. Those “one more trip” trips sometimes can be killers.

Certainly the publication “Workboat,” is not a fan of the practice. Max Hardberger wrote there:

“The Matsonia is 46 years old, almost certainly the oldest ship of 760’ or greater carrying current U.S. certificates. All of her sister ships in the Ponce class built by Sun Shipbuilding have now been scrapped or gone to the bottom. One, the El Yunque, was towed to a scrapyard in 2016 after an inspection revealed extensive steel deterioration. In fact, the El Faro had replaced another Sun-built ship, the El Morro, in the Puerto Rico trade after that ship had to be scrapped due to hull condition. So the question is why the Matsonia is still navigating?”

What could go wrong? On very old ships, a lot.

Here’s a searchable data base of inspections of the Matsonia.

System	Sub System	Component	Deficiency Details
Communications	Security	Ship Security Alert System	SSAS not transmitting. System to be fixed while vessel is in Oakland, CA.
Documentation	Logs/Records	Logbook/Record (unofficial)	Update lock-out, tag-out log.
Engineering	Steam System (main)	Piping Drain	Repair leaking main condensor drain pipe.
Accommodation/Occupational Safety	Occupational Safety	Tripping/Falling Hazard	Repair wasted step in between main condensor pumps.
Engineering	Steam System (main)	Lagging/Insulation	Re-attach loose lagging on DC heater.
Engineering	Bilge Water Management System	Pump	Make #2 aux engineering nuisance bilge water pump operable.
Fire Fighting	Remote Fuel Shutoff	General	Re-attach remote reach rod for fuel oil valve in main space.
Engineering	Steam System (main)	Lagging/Insulation	Survey main space for missing, unserviceable, and loose lagging, develop plan to repair.
Operations/Management	Pollution	Retention of Oily Mixture	Remove excess oil under SSTDG's.
Engineering	Steam Boiler (propulsion)	Piping	Adjust packing on port main steam stop to prevent excessive steam leaking.
Engineering	Sea-water System (primary cooling)	Pump	Tighten packing on main condensor fwd pump to slow excessive leaking.
Electrical	Electrical Distribution System (service)	Panelboard	Provide appropriate blank for main electrical panel opening.
Engineering	Fuel Oil Storage/Transfer System	Valve	Replace weeping exterior fuel oil valve for EDG.
Engineering	Fuel Oil Storage/Transfer System	Tank	Test motorized lifeboat fuel tank to dertermine how excessive water was found inside the tank, make repairs as necessary.
Engineering	Steam Boiler (propulsion)	Air Register	Re-fasten port forced draft fan linkage. SOLAS (2014 Consolidated) I-11
Fire Fighting	Fixed CO2 Fire Extinguishing System	Operating Controls	Re-attach linkage for EDG fire damper, prove proper operation. SOLAS (2014 Consolidated) I-11
Engineering	Steam Boiler (propulsion)	Water Level Indicator	Make manual steam drum water level indicators readable. SOLAS (2014 Consolidated) I-11
Engineering	Steam System (main)	Lagging/Insulation	Replace missing lagging on inboard feedwater pump. SOLAS (2014 Consolidated) I-11
Engineering	Steering Gear System	Pump	Make steering system available for inspection/testing following repairs for excessive vibration. 46CFR91.25-10
Engineering	Steam System (main)	Piping Drain	Prove repairs of port sootblower drain with operational test.
Engineering	Steam System (main)	Piping	Prove proper operation of port economizer following repairs.
Engineering	Steam Boiler (propulsion)	Automation Equipment	Make vessel available for boiler automation testing by a USCG Marine Inspector during a OCMI San Francisco port call.
Engineering	Steam Turbine (auxiliary)	Coupling	Repair leak from cover of high speed coupling on outboard SSTDG.
Engineering	Steam Boiler (propulsion)	Water Level Indicator	Repair leak on inboard steam drum sight glass for stbd boiler.
Engineering	Steam System (auxiliary)	Piping	Determine extent of leaks and make repairs to aux steam line leading to evaporator.
Engineering	Steam System (main)	Piping Drain	Crop and renew holed section of boiler blowdown pipe downstream of skin valve. SOLAS (2014 Consolidated) I-11
Engineering	Steam Boiler (propulsion)	Automation Equipment	Provide records of periodic automation testing being completed within the last year.
Engineering	Steam System (main)	Piping	Repair leaking high pressure gauge piping on inboard feedwater pump.
Engineering	Feedwater/Condensate Water System	Pump	Repair water leak from jacking bold on outboard feedwater pump.
Fire Fighting	Structural Fire Protection - General	Deckhouse Construction	Properly seal multiple cat-5 cable wire penetrations going through the deck of the port fan room. (1960 SOLAS II/38(a))
Electrical	Lighting (service)	Lighting Fixture	Repair electrical lamp and outlet in Stock Tender Room #2. (1960 SOLAS II/27(a)(v))
Fire Fighting	Structural Fire Protection - General	Deckhouse Construction	Repair broken latch on boiler casing door on the galley deck. (1960 SOLAS II/38(d))
Fire Fighting	Ventilation Systems	Ventilation Fire Dampers	Repair all damaged cargo hatch fire dampers. (ILLC 1966 Reg 16(4))
Operations/Management	Lifesaving	Op Readiness/Maintenance/Inspection	Stow lifeboat equipment in port and starboard lifeboats that does not interfere with operations. (1960 SOLAS III/12)
Lifesaving	Immersion Suits	General	Ensure each crew member has an appropriately sized immersion suit for use. (2014 SOLAS III/32.3.2)
Engineering	Shafting/Propeller Arrangements	Strut Bearing	In accordance with the vessel's submitted mediation plan to minimize any oil loss from the vessel's forward strut seal and the vsl's monitoring plan while underway, the vessel may proceed to Honolulu and return to Oakland to effect permanent repairs (OOA 06 March 18).
Construction/Loadline	Penetrations	Gasket	In accordance with the vsl's submitted mediation plan to minimize and track oil loss from the strut seals, crew will maintain monitoring plan while underway and submit trip report indicating strut seal oil daily loss averages for each future round trip from Oak to Hono. This report shall be submitted upon arrival into Port of Oakland to Sector SF.
Lifesaving	Lifeboat	Propulsion Engine	All lifesaving appliances shall be kept in working order and available for immediate use before the ship leaves port. Vessel's motor lifeboat was unable to start in the presence of the attending MI.
Engineering	Steam Boiler (propulsion)	Gauge Glass	Each boiler is to have at least two means of indicating the water level. The stbd boiler upper gauge glass is obscured and unable to be read. The port outboard gauge glasses are leaking and out of commission.
Engineering	Sea-water System (primary cooling)	Pump	After any survey of the ship has been completed, no change shall be made to the machinery covered by the survey without sanction of the Administration. Aft circulation pump for main condenser shaft seal is leaking excessively. Renew shaft packing on pump and reduce salt water discharge from pump into bilges.
Fire Fighting	Fire Hydrants	Condition	After any survey of the ship has been completed, no change shall be made to the equipment covered by the survey without the sanction of the administration. The #14 and #19 fire station have areas of severe corrosion on the piping. Vessel is to gauge ppiping and provide prosposal for repair or remediation of corrosion areas.
Engineering	Steam System (main)	Lagging/Insulation	After any survey of the ship has been completed, no change shall be made to the equipment covered by the survey without the sanction of the administration. Vessel is missing lagging on flange to evap live steam inlet and the valve bonnet on stbd boiler aft. Vessel is to install lagging to prevent hazards to engine personnel.
Electrical	Electric Supply System (service)	Cable	After any survey of the ship has been completed, no change shall be made to the equipment covered by the survey without the sanction of the administration. Stbd winch disconnect switch box on main deck has split electrical stuffing tube and severely corrode conduit to switch box. Renew stuffing tube and conduit to the satisfaction of the attending MI or ACS.
Electrical	Electrical Distribution System (service)	Metallic Enclosure/Frame	After any survey of the ship has been completed, no change shall be made to the equipment covered by the survey without the sanction of the administration. The winch control cabinet covers in the bosun stores are currently being maintained in a closed position by ratchet straps and rope. Vessel is to secure panels and access doors to satisfaction of attending MI or ACS.