Matson said it it will increase the frequency of its South Pacific Express (SPX) service to Samoa and American Samoa from 28 days to 14 days. The service provides transits from Hawai'i and the U.S. West Coast to the Samoas: 12 days from Long Beach and 5.5 days from Honolulu to Pago Pago, with an extra day to Apia.
Matson launched its SPX service on August 10, 2016, establishing reliable, fixed day shipping service between the U.S. West Coast, Hawai'i and the Samoas. Its new fortnightly SPX schedule is made possible by the company's acquisition of a larger, faster vessel that has been christened "Samoana" and will be welcomed at special ceremonies following its maiden voyage arrivals at Pago Pago and Apia.
MV Samoana, with a capacity of 1,103 TEUs, will replace the 844-TEU MV Islander, which had been operating the previous 28-day service.
The newly increased service from the U.S. Mainland and Hawai'i complements Matson's existing 14-day service from New Zealand to the Samoas, which has been in operation since 2013. This allows for exporting and importing opportunities to extend across these trade lanes which also cover Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Nukualofa, Vava'u, Niue, and Fiji.