Matson adds direct Hawaii/Pacific link from Maui and Big Island

Matson adds direct Hawaii/Pacific link from Maui and Big Island    Matson Navigation Co. has started a direct eastbound roll-on/roll-off service from the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui to the U.S. West Coast.
   Matson’s ro/ro vessels “Matsonia” and “Lurline” will make Neighbor Island port calls as part of their eastbound return voyage to the West Coast. Because of the lower volume moving in Matson’s eastbound Hawaii service, the ro/ro ships will have “ample capacity to meet the cattle industry’s needs throughout the year, including during peak periods,” the carrier said.
   The direct service, named “Paniolo Express,” is aimed at Hawaii’s cattle industry. It will provide a faster transit time from the Neighbor Island ports of Kahului and Hilo to Long Beach and Oakland.
   Cattle had been shipped from the Neighbor Islands to Honolulu on barges and then transshipped on Matson’s long-haul vessels, which sail between Honolulu and the West Coast. The carrier’s ro/ro vessels now include direct calls from the Big Island to Long Beach and from Maui to Oakland. “Transit time will be reduced from eight to five days,” Matson said.
   Plans are underway to expand the service to include directs calls from the Big Island to Oakland later this summer. The ship “Great Land” will then be added to the service, with direct calls from Hilo to Oakland.
   “In addition to adjusting our vessel schedule to include direct service to the West Coast from Maui and the Big Island, we are in the process of developing newly designed containers that will improve the quality of cattle carriage capabilities while concurrently reducing the cost of the equipment purchases,” said Dave Hoppes, vice president, ocean services at Matson. The newly designed containers, which will complement the enhanced service, will be constructed in the coming months. Matson said that it is building the prototype for the industry’s review.
   The service will only be able to accommodate ro/ro cargo, because the Neighbor Island ports have no gantry cranes for container operations. Neighbor Island container freight will continue to move on Matson’s two Neighbor Island container barges, which are equipped with their own gantry cranes.