Matson Launches New Okinawa Service

HONOLULU, Sept. 5, 2017  /PRNewswire/ -- Matson, Inc.  (NYSE: MATX), a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, has inaugurated service to the port of Naha, Okinawa.  Having received all necessary permits and clearances, the new weekly service made its first call at Naha on September 2, 2017.

Matson has added the new port of call to its expedited China-Long Beach Express (CLX) service, offering transit times from the U.S. West Coast up to four days faster than existing services in the market.

Westbound transit times to Naha are 17 days from Long Beach, 18 days from Oakland, 21 days from Seattle, and 11 days from Honolulu.  Eastbound transits from Naha are 14 days to Long Beach, 17 days to Oakland and 33 days to Seattle.

Along with fastest transit times, Matson's dedicated terminal operations on the West Coast provide shippers with late cut-off times, industry-leading truck turn times and use of Matson's extensive owned chassis inventory throughout the U.S.

Matson operates its CLX service with five U.S. flagged vessels carrying containerized and bulk cargo.  These ships are the most modern vessels serving Okinawa from the U.S.

"Matson was rated the #1 ocean carrier in the world for three consecutive years because of its commitment to operating the fastest and most reliable service in the markets we serve," said John Lauer, Chief Commercial Officer.  "Consistent with that commitment and Matson's strategy to look for ways to leverage its superior Pacific network to offer new services, adding Naha allows us to provide the fastest service to an important locale for the U.S. government.  The westbound transit time from Long Beach to Naha will save shippers up to four days on existing services in the market."

Bookings for westbound cargo to Naha are being handled by Matson's award-winning Customer Service Center.  Matson has appointed Ekistics EpiCenter, Inc. (EEC, Inc.) as its exclusive agent in Okinawa.

Naha replaces the previous direct call at Xiamen, China in Matson's China-Long Beach Express (CLX) service, which will now call Long Beach-Honolulu-Guam-Naha-Ningbo-Shanghai-Long Beach.  Matson's eastbound service from Ningbo and Shanghai is unchanged, providing the industry's fastest service to the U.S. West Coast. 

About Matson

Founded in 1882, Matson (NYSE: MATX) is a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific. Matson provides a vital lifeline to the economies of Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Micronesia and select South Pacific islands, and operates a premium, expedited service from China to Southern California. The Company's fleet of 21 owned vessels and six chartered vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges. Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends the geographic reach of Matson's transportation network throughout the continental U.S. Its integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage, warehousing, and less-than-container load freight consolidation and forwarding to Alaska. Additional information about Matson, Inc. is available at www.matson.com.   

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SOURCE Matson, Inc.