Matson
Matson (legal entity Matson, Inc.) is a regional specialist headquartered in Honolulu, USA. Founded in 1882, the line has spent 144 years building out its container service network and today operates a fleet of 30 vessels under the SCAC code MATS. Total operated capacity stands near 47,000 TEU, placing the carrier among the recognised operators on its core trade lanes.
Matson is most active on the following corridors: Pacific Islands, Hawaii, Alaska, China-Long Beach Express. The line operates on a standalone basis and does not share vessel slots with other ocean carriers under a formal global alliance. Direct customer contact is available via +1 808 848 1211 or the carrier's web portal at matson.com.
Matson corridor coverage
Matson concentrates its services on Pacific Islands, Hawaii, Alaska, China-Long Beach Express. Customers on these lanes typically see weekly or twice-weekly sailings depending on season and trade balance. For a current sailing schedule, contact the carrier directly or consult its weekly schedule publication.
How to track a Matson container
Tracking a Matson container starts with confirming the prefix. Look at the container's left-hand corner casting plate or the painted code on the door — the four-letter ISO 6346 owner code is followed by six numeric digits and a single check digit. Blue Water Facts no longer publishes a per-carrier owner-prefix list (see /accuracy/ for why); confirm the operator via the carrier's own tracking portal or your bill of lading. Visit matson.com, navigate to the carrier's tracking or "track and trace" portal, and paste the full container number. The portal will return current vessel position, the next scheduled port call, the estimated time of arrival (ETA) and the most recent equipment events such as gate-in, loaded, discharged and gate-out.
If the carrier portal does not return a result, the most likely causes are: the container has not yet been gate-in at the origin terminal, the bill of lading number is in a different format (check whether the system expects an MBL versus an HBL), or the box is moving on a partner alliance vessel rather than a Matson hull. In the last case, the schedule data lives with the operating carrier, not the equipment owner. Matson's customer service can normally cross-reference the booking and route you to the correct alliance partner. Reach the carrier on +1 808 848 1211 during European business hours.
Related ocean carriers
Operators most often compared with Matson on overlapping trade lanes:
- Crowley Maritime — Jacksonville, USA, founded 1892. SCAC CMCU.
- Seaboard Marine — Miami, USA, founded 1983. SCAC SMLU.
- Tropical Shipping — Riviera Beach, USA, founded 1963. SCAC TSGS.
- King Ocean Services — Doral, USA, founded 1981. SCAC KOSL.
- Sealand Maersk — Charlotte, USA, founded 1960. SCAC SEJJ.
- Westwood Shipping Lines — Puyallup, USA, founded 1982. SCAC WWSU.