Aker delivers 4th Phila. ship

Full speed ahead with more work underway at shipyard. The six-year-old Aker Philadelphia Shipyard delivered its fourth cargo ship today as workers toiled on three other vessels they plan to complete over the next 18 months.

The 681-foot Maunalei, Hawaiian for mountain flower, was turned over to the Matson Navigation Co., a unit of Alexander & Baldwin Inc., of Honolulu.

The vessel, designed to carry cargo in large containers, will join three other Philadelphia-built ships in Matson’s new service linking California, Hawaii, Guam and China. Matson touts its express service, launched this year, as the fastest in the China-California trade lane.