Page Two	E-mail PagePrint Version

SAN FRANCISCO - 02/27/06 - The Matson Navigation Company has officially launched its new China - Long Beach Express service with the recent sailing of the 2,600-TEU containership MV Manulani from Shanghai.

The new calls by Matson vessels in Ningbo and Shanghai will provide the carrier's customers with an 11-day express service from China to Long Beach.

The start-up marks Matson's entry into the China market, expanding its reach in the Pacific, which it has been serving since 1882.

Matson's five most modern, fuel-efficient vessels will be deployed in the service, including four new containerships built in the past four years.

The company's dedicated terminal facility in Long Beach "will help expedite delivery, resulting from the operation's fast throughput and next day cargo availability," according to a company press release.

The deployment is part of a new Matson Guam - China service that, in total, represents a $365 million investment in vessel, container and terminal assets; the new port rotation is Long Beach, Honolulu, Guam, Ningbo, Shanghai, Long Beach.

Matson will sail direct from Ningbo and Shanghai to Long Beach, arriving every Sunday at Matson's dedicated facility with cargo available for pick-up the next day.

For added convenience, Matson is offering customers the option of draying their cargo to an off-dock container yard four miles from the harbor, allowing large retailers to avoid the congestion of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

For inland moves, Matson will leverage its intermodal and logistics subsidiary, Matson Integrated Logistics, the release said.

The $145 million, 712-foot, 30,000-ton MV Manulani was launched last March at the Kvaerner Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Go back, or read the latest Page Two stories:

MEXICO LIFTS CALIFORNIA LETTUCE BAN

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – 10/20/06 – The weeks-old ban on California lettuce shipments to Mexico has been lifted after US Department of Agriculture tests for the E. coli bacteria proved negative; California is the country’s leading producer of lettuce with an estimated 70-75% of the total US production of iceberg lettuce and between 80-85% of the leaf lettuce.