Feb 16, 2006 9:06 AM, from staff and wire reports

Matson Navigation Co Inc officially launched its new Matson-dedicated Guam and Micronesia service with the arrival of the MV Manulani. The new service succeeds the former 10-year Matson/APL Alliance arrangement in which Matson and APL shared vessel deployments.

With the new service, Guam will be served by Matson’s five most modern, fuel-efficient vessels, including four new ships built in the past four years. Guam operations on the West Coast will be supported by Matson-dedicated facilities in Long Beach CA, Oakland CA, and Seattle WA. This deployment is part of a new Matson Guam-China service and represents a $365 million investment in vessel, container, and terminal assets; the new port rotation is Long Beach, Honolulu, Guam, Ningbo, Shanghai, Long Beach. The China component, the China-Long Beach Express, will be launched the week of February 20.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin Inc of Honolulu HI, Matson provides ocean transportation, intermodal, and logistics services.