Matson Helping to Expedite Relief Supplies to Maui

Pacific shipping company Matson is working with emergency response agencies to prioritize the movement of emergency equipment and supplies to Maui in response to this week’s devastating wildfires.

Matson’s barge Haleakala departed Honolulu Thursday afternoon with 160 containers bound for Kahului in Maui, where it is due Friday morning.

Matson’s cargo operations at Kahului Harbor continue uninterrupted and unaffected and the company’s twice weekly service to Maui continues as normal. The company has chartered an additional barge that is standing by to support relief efforts.

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has allowed Matson to temporarily carry disaster response and relief goods and equipment between Honolulu and Maui to expedite the movement of emergency cargo.

Matson’s mainline containerships sail between the U.S. West Coast and Honolulu three times a week, with connecting service to the neighboring islands on a fleet of owned barges. The company says it is maintaining its normal schedule of barge arrivals at Kahului and has scheduled one extra Maui sailing on August 20th, with the possibility of more sailings if needed.

“In addition to working with government agencies, the company is working with a number of its customers to send shipments of relief supplies to Maui in the coming days and is in communication with nonprofit organizations about shipments to Maui,” the company said in a statement posted to Facebook.

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