US Merchant Marine Series (Episode 2) - Matson Navigation Company

Matson Navigation Company

What's Going on With Shipping?
Jan. 7, 2024

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[tommythetoe]

Almost 10 years ago I was working as reefer aboard the MV Manukai. I got pancreatitis
aboard the ship. 1 day out of Hawaii heading to Guam the shore side doctors recommended
the ship head to port to get me to hospital. They did not know what I had. The Captain
turned right around going back to Hawaii and put me ashore. Matson put me up at Queens
hospital in a private room. They paid for over a week there plus the operation to remove
my gall bladder. A week in a hotel for me to recover and 1st class airfare home. They
gave me a number to call with a man there to take care of any problems I had.
They actually care about there crew not just talking about it. Best company.

[viksaini]

Fun fact: Matson was one of the few shipping lines that once had its own airline. Matson Lines flew two DC-4s named the "Sky Matsonia” and the “Sky Royal Hawaiian.”

[thereissomecoolstuff]

I work with Matson crews periodically and they are a great company. They have been retiring some of their older ships recently. They will sit in Seattle or Tacoma for a period then they are gone. They are huge when Hawaii has a disaster. Great episode Sal. These must take a lot more time to make than a news video. Good to get some west coast love. What’s going on with the battery ship fire in Dutch Harbor. Thanks Sal

[garyhoover]

Hawaii has a population of around 1.5 million, but a tourist population of 10 million per year.

Hawaii imports over 95% of its food. The food in stores one week likely came in on a ship witin the last 7 days. food in restaraunts and hotels is a bit more variable, but still on a “just in time” basis.

If the port of Honolulu goes down do to natural or human-caused catastrophe, Oahu - the busiest and most densely populated island - would be in a world of hurt.

Medicines and basically all durable goods and consumer goods are also imported - mostly via ships.

Hawaii’s predicament is instrcutive for all of us. Hawaii’s dependence on ocean-going shipping seems extreme to those f us living in, say, Minnesota. But my too-few years in beautiful Hawaii made me keenly aware of how dependent we all are on ocean-going shipping.

Thank you for the great work on the Merchant Marine - and for the super summary of Hawaiian ocean-going shipping, Sal! I really have appreciated the depth and breadth of your insight into global shipping. Oh - and it seems that I could not go anywhere on the island of Oahu without seeing a Matson shipping container somewhere nearby! And plenty Young Brothers too - but mostly Matson! 😅

[dale]

Thanks Sal for the great piece on Matson, I have a soft spot for Matson, just graduating high school I joined the Merchant Marine and worked on several of their ships in the late 60's and early 70's, I was on the Hawaiian Citizen, the Kopaa, and the Californian. The Kopaa had an interesting history as it was originally a WW2 T2 tanker named the "Mission San Juan" it served in the Korean war as a tanker and in 1964 it was reacquired by the navy and converted to a missile tracker and renamed "Flagstaff" and then again to "Mercury" it served as a link between astronauts and Cape Canaveral and then for the Project Apollo moon shot. She was finally sold to Matson and converted in Portland, OR to a bulk carrier in 1970. As I recall her maiden voyage was to Alaska to pick up a load of fertilizer and from then on it was on the Hawaiian bulk sugar run sailing between Kawaihae and Crockett CA.

[BlackCreek]

Great presentation on Matson, Sal. Back in the days of the Lurline, my uncle was, I believe, an electrical engineer for Matson. My recollection was he was very proud to be associated with the company. Living in Seattle for several decades it was hard to miss them at the terminals or heading up or down the sound. Matson is an important part of the Pacific history, thank you.

[frankbarnwell____]

I liked it. Excellent. Nitty-gritty of how our lives are affected by shipping, Hawaii, Ukraine, Guyana, New Jersey or Sydney

[markdandeneau]

If I’d had you for high school history, history would have been my favorite subject. Thanks for another great episode Hawaii is fortunate to have such a dedicated shipping company.

[byronharano]

For decades only two companies served Hawai'i (and the Marina Islands if not mistaken), Sea Train/Land and Matson. Sal, Mahalo for reporting on my home State the BIG Five-O, 50th.

[denault]

Matson, my step-fathers favorite shipper...and he was a Superintendent of Cargo Operaations, San Diego.

[glennredavid]

I love Matson & have them in my portfolio. I've been investing in them for years & they've never let me down.

[ToBo]

Puget Sound resident who appreciates your history of the ships I've seen all my life!

[byronharano]

Sal. What also makes Matson unique (my opinion) is the ethical business practices for all these decades. Prices, level of reliability, number and modern ship types are all ethically balanced concerning Matson operations. No company is perfect, but the Hawai'i legislators have little problems with Matson.
Suggestion topic: Ethical shipping practices. That be interesting. Mahalo Sal

[jamiemcpoland]

I retired from Matson, two years ago. It was a good company to work for. I worked on many of their ship as CE and First AE. Then, I worked as Port Engineer as they rolled out those new builds. For a long time Matson ran very old ships, it has only been the last five years or so they been aggressively replacing vessel. The reasons for that could be a show of it's own. I believe you covered Matson very well. Thanks for getting the information out there.

[FrankLeeNacty]

Learning a lot of new information, thanks Sal.

[LumberHoward]

Great job. I used Matson many years ago and they were good to work with.

[chriswoodward]

Great information you are always interesting to listen to. Yes we need more ships made in the US and Canada. We need to support are ship builders on this side of of the pond. Would love to see an episode about SEA-SPAN as well.

[edroth]

Excellent History, AND Current Events lesson. ! ! ! !

[moparbryan]

Hey Sal great job! Just a small correction Matson terminals on the west coast LA/Long beach and Tacoma are leased and operated by SSA. There is a convoluted partnership between SSA and Matson where Matson owns a portion of SSA which is a subsidiary of Carrix which owns a portion of Matson 🤔. Either way Matson terminals are operated by SSA employees/longeshore. Also Matson still has 24’ containers in their system which require non industry standard modified equipment to handle.

[trainman]

In 1959 I took the ocean liner SS Matsonia from SF to Honolulu. I was 4 years old but vividly remember coming into Honolulu bay.