The South Pacific Ocean which many ships used to cross every year will see more new appearances from Matson’s vessels beginning this month.
The shipping company has just acquired the assets of the former Reef Shipping on January 5th, 2013 and it has just launched one of its ships in a ceremony Ogle described as ‘none of the ships are newly launched” but it was just in accordance with what the company normally do when its new vessels travel for the first time.
Jonathan Ogle, Matson Director for South Pacific told Kaniva News that, “It is Matson’s tradition to bless each ship new to Matson on its maiden voyage.”
On Monday 25th Matson ship Olomana was blessed in Auckland and now looking forward for Liloa ship to be blessed on March 2nd and Mana Ship will be blessed on March 4th.
Kaniva was told that a Samoan Faifeau was conducting a prayer and blessed the ship.
Ogle said that Olomana sails every three weeks from Auckland to Rarotonga and Aititake in the Cook Islands and Niue.
The Liloa sails every three weeks from Auckland to Lautoka, Suva, Apia, Pago Pago, Vavau and Nukualofa. Mana sails every four weeks from Suva to Wallis, Futuna, Funafuti, Tarawa, Majuro, Nauru, Honiara, Santo and Vila.
The blessing of the ship on Monday was made because it now has the traditional Matson funnel with the big, blue “M”, the red, swallow-tailed Matson house flag and a Hawaiian name.
Orgle believes that the major difference that Matson will bring to the people of the South Pacific is its being an independent operator.
He said that they operate their own ships, independent of any cartels, with their own tariffs on their own schedules.
Their goal in the South Pacific is to be a high quality regional carrier offering shippers a well run alternative to the old cartel system.
Matson Company was founded in 1882, and it is a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific.
