Matson Adds New Link to Okinawa

Matson US carrier Matson plans to launch a new service from the West Coast to the Port of Naha, Okinawa, Japan, as part of its China-Long Beach Express (CLX) coverage. The new weekly service will commence with departures from Seattle on January 28, Oakland on January 31 and Long Beach on February 1 with a first Naha arrival on February 18, 2017. Naha will replace the current direct call at Xiamen, China, in the companys CLX service, which will then call Long Beach, Honolulu, Guam (US), Naha (Japan), Ningbo, Shanghai (China), Long Beach. The last direct call at Xiamen will be on February 5, according to Matson. Westbound transit times to Naha will be 20 days from Seattle, 18 days from Oakland, 17 days from Long Beach and 10 days from Honolulu. Eastbound transits from Naha will be 14 days to Long Beach, 17 days to Oakland and 33 days to Seattle. Matson operates its CLX service with five US flagged vessels carrying containerized and bulk cargo. Founded in 1882, Matson owns a fleet of 22 vessels including containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off  (RoRo) ships and custom-designed barges.