What is Matson Steamship? Matson Steamship Review, Features

Matson Navigation Company, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "Matson") is an experienced American container liner company. It mainly operates the ocean container business from Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai to Long Beach Port on the west coast of the United States and the inland areas of the United States.

About Matson Clippers

Matson's CLX (China Long Beach Express) weekly container service started in February 2006, calling at Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai, and then directly to the Port of Long Beach in the United States, the Port of Honolulu in Hawaii, and Guam. The entire journey from Shanghai to Long Beach takes 10.5 days. After the ship arrives at the Port of Long Beach, the cargo can be picked up at the yard outside the port area the next day, creating a new concept of "fast and punctual" in the shipping industry. Matson has been committed to serving the Pacific route since its establishment in 1882. It has dedicated terminals in major ports on the west coast of the United States and enjoys a high reputation in the shipping industry for its efficient, punctual and fast services.

Advantages

1. Safe and efficient

Matsun Shipping has its own terminals in the United States and will give priority to its own business needs and will not be affected by unexpected incidents.

2. Convenient and fast

Matson's ships are fully loaded in most cases, so there is no need to participate in cabin sharing. The benefits of not participating in cabin sharing are obvious. Matson's express ships have unique advantages in terms of operating efficiency and cost. Matson's ships are independently operated, and the ship mobilization is decided by a command center. It is very simple to contact the ships at various ports in the United States. Because ships rely on the weather, there are many uncertain factors and many things that require timely decision-making and response. The terminal only needs to contact Matson for Matson's ships, and there is no need to coordinate with other shipping companies. Moreover, Midea's ships are all self-owned ships, and the crew are all American employees of Matson, so communication is very simple. Matson's customers also feel very convenient. They can get on Matson's ships, use Matson's boxes, unload at Matson's docks, and use Matson's free chassis (other companies charge for them), which is very convenient.

3. Excellent financial status

In fact, when it comes to shipping from the west coast of the United States to China, it is already very profitable. Then from China back to the United States, although it is a return trip, the freight rate of Matson Express is higher than that of other shipping companies' main eastbound routes. So the financial situation of this route is very good. Because it is good, it is a virtuous cycle, so Matson can provide free chassis in Long Beach, and it can accelerate in case of weather conditions. Although the fuel cost will be much higher, Matson can do this in order to fulfill its promise to customers on the shipping schedule. In fact, this is a virtuous cycle. Because of the good financial performance, the company's overall financial performance is profitable, so it can go east without slowing down when the market is sluggish, even when the oil price is very expensive and others are slowing down. This is because the financial performance and income level of the westbound ship are very high, which also guarantees the timeliness of Matson's route and will not be delayed.

4. Unique

As for specific routes, the possibility of replicating Matson's route is very low. The Hawaii and Guam routes are domestic routes in the United States, and other foreign ships cannot pick up goods there. But what can be replicated is the return value. This is something that everyone can do, and shipping companies must do it. Customers vary greatly, and sometimes it is not clear what the customer needs. Before you present a specific product to him, he is not very clear. Shipping companies need to have a keen eye and unique insights to see the future needs and pain points of customers, that is, the suppressed needs now, and provide the services that customers need.

Operation process

1. Prepare the stock;

2. Inspection of goods;

3. Check the information;

4. Export declaration;

5. Customs clearance;

6. Arrange space;

7. Arrival notice;

8. Import customs clearance;

9. Customs clearance;

10. Warehouse in the country of destination.

Precautions

1. Shipping invoice, cargo manifest, entry manifest (Customs Form 7533) or import speed (Customs Form 3461). Commercial cargo manifest to explain the value and image of the goods.

2. Things to note when shipping to the United States by sea: Customs needs to know the name of the shipper, and the consignee needs to prove to the customs that the goods have been imported, so a "transporter certificate" is also required.

3. Packing list for shipping to the United States. If necessary, you can also submit other necessary documents to ensure smooth customs clearance of the goods. After filling out the customs entry form, the importer indicates the tariff level and pays the estimated tariff and processing fee. Sometimes there may be additional tariffs, which requires a deposit.

FAQ

Q: What is the Matson Clippers?

A: Matson Express entered China in 2005 and is engaged in LCL and FCL business. It is a shipping route developed by Matson Shipping Company of the United States, which runs from Shanghai, China to the western port of Long Beach in the United States. Later, two more ports of call were developed in Ningbo and Xiamen. Currently, there is no port of call in Shenzhen. It is reported that Matson is also considering opening a port of call in Shenzhen in the near future. The significance is: for a large number of Amazon sellers in Shenzhen, it is good news, because the cost of shipping Matson goods from Shenzhen will be lower (because there is no need to drag the container to Shanghai for shipment).

Q: Can Matson Clippers only go to the United States?

A: In principle, yes. Because Matson’s route is to the western United States, it is equivalent to a direct cargo route from China to the United States.

Q: What is the schedule of Matson Express? How many times can it be dispatched in a week?

A: One ship per week, cut off on Friday and start on Wednesday. That is, the goods are received and customs clearance is completed on Friday this week, and the ship will start on Wednesday next week. Some freight forwarding companies will set their own cut-off time for receiving goods according to the receiving nodes they are good at in order to facilitate receiving and delivering goods to Matson, but Matson has only one official sailing schedule, which is to set sail every Wednesday.

Q: Is the freight rate of Matson Express expensive? Is it cost-effective?

A: Compared with traditional ocean freight, the price of slow ocean freight is indeed higher. But compared with international express and air freight, the price is quite cost-effective, and its price is only about half of air freight at most.

Q: How long does it take to get to the United States?

A: The delivery time of Matson Express is: after departing from Shanghai Port, it usually takes 14-18 natural days to arrive at the Long Beach Port in the western United States and can be collected. As for the later delivery, it depends on whether UPS or truck delivery is adopted. Please analyze the specific issues.

Q: How much is the freight rate per kilogram for Matson Express? Why do many freight forwarders offer very low prices?

A: As a business person, I can tell you that the average freight rate of Matson Express is about 12-15 yuan per kilogram (because freight forwarders generally provide door-to-door service, the distance from the West Coast to warehouses in various places is different, and the delivery cost is also different, so the freight rate must be different). If the price given to you by the freight forwarder is significantly lower than our reference price, one thing is certain: he sent you a fake Matson.

Q: Does the Matson Clippers have a twin brother called the Yantian Clippers?

A: Yantian Express, which belongs to the express ship system, is an express ship business developed by some ocean freight forwarders. Its route is basically the same as Matsun Express (Matsun goes to Long Beach in the United States, while Yantian Express goes to Los Angeles in the west of the United States). The freight rate of Yantian Express is slightly lower than Matsun. Since Yantian Express can generally be made into a four-day departure, that is, three natural days earlier than Matsun, the overall time efficiency is actually similar to Matsun Express. Due to its low freight rate and similar time efficiency to Matsun, it is also favored by many Amazon sellers and has become the preferred channel for FBA shipments.

Q: Is the chance of container inspection on Matson Express lower than that on ordinary ships?

A: Since Matson has its own port in the United States, the container inspection rate is indeed lower. However, affected by the recent Sino-US trade frictions, the US side has given "special attention" to Chinese products exported to the US, so the recent container inspection rate is still quite high, and the delay in timeliness is also obvious. Therefore, it is recommended that sellers extend the shipping buffer period by about 10 days when calculating.

Q: What types of goods can Matson Express ship?

A: Generally, normal goods can be shipped without any special restrictions. Except for flammable and explosive goods, liquids, hazardous chemicals, etc., all can be shipped normally.