Matson Navigation Company, a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, is continuing to sail its vessels serving Hawaii on a normal schedule to position inbound cargo for discharge as soon as possible after the reopening of Hawaii ports following Hurricane Lane.
Matson's vessel Mahimahi arrived at Honolulu on time yesterday and 537 containers were discharged prior to the closure of Honolulu Harbor. The vessel was then moved to a safe position off shore and will return to complete discharge of an additional 615 containers when the port reopens.
Including cargo that arrived yesterday and has not yet been picked up by customers, there was a total of 665 containers of goods ready for pick up at Matson's Honolulu terminal when it closed in accordance with State Department of Transportation port closures today at 11:00 a.m. HST.
Matson vessels Manoa, Manulani, Matsonia and Mokihana, carrying a combined 3,500 containers of goods, are scheduled to call Honolulu on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, and will sail as scheduled to be positioned for service as soon as Honolulu Harbor is reopened.
In addition to the discharge of cargo from Mahimahi, two of Matson's three barges dedicated to serving Hawaii's neighbor island ports from Honolulu were loaded and dispatched early this morning toward Kahului and Hilo, respectively, where they will position offshore and be ready to serve those ports as they reopen.
Matson has secured all of its facilities in accordance with its hurricane preparedness plan and remains in frequent communication with the U.S. Coast Guard and the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation. The company will provide updates as developments dictate.
