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Shipping company Matson Navigation Co. has announced that it will be raising its fuel surcharge for shipments between the US mainland and Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Micronesia, effective Sunday, October 7.

Matson, Hawaii's largest ocean shipper, said that it will be increasing its fuel charge by 4.5 percentage points, from 39 to 43.5 percent, for its Hawaii service.

The new fee is the fourth to be implemented this year. It follows a 3 percent reduction in July, a 3.5 percent cut in June and a surcharge rise of 5 percentage points to 45.5 percent on February 26. That adjustment followed three consecutive decreases over a six-week period between August 28 and October 9 last year.

Matson will also be increasing its fuel surcharge for shipments to Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Micronesia by 4.5 percentage points from 35.5 to 40.0 percent.

"While we were encouraged by the moderation of bunker fuel prices earlier this year, that trend has been reversed in recent months," said Dave Hoppes, senior vice president, ocean services.

"Since announcing our last decrease in mid-July, bunker fuel prices have risen over 13%. As with all increases, Matson gives our customers 30 days advance notice prior to implementation. We will continue to monitor fuel prices and adjust the surcharge accordingly.”

Please find below a surcharge summary for Matson's Hawaii service since February 2008.

Feb 4, 2008 - 31.5%
Apr 6, 2008 - 33.75%
Jul 13, 2008 - 38.25%
Aug 31, 2008 - 42.25%
Sep 21, 2008 - 37.50%
Oct 12, 2008 - 33.0%
Oct 19, 2008 - 27.0%
Nov 2, 2008 - 25.0%
Nov 16, 2008 - 19.5%
Nov 30, 2008 - 15.0%
May 24, 2009 - 16.5%
Jun 21, 2009 - 20.0%
Jul 5, 2009 - 28.0%
Oct. 4, 2009 - 24.0%
Feb. 7, 2010 - 27.5%
Jul 18, 2010 - 25.5%
Sep 12, 2010 - 21.75%
Feb 27, 2011 - 26.5%
May 1, 2011 - 43.5%
Jun 12, 2011 - 47.5%
Aug 28, 2011 - 45.5%
Sep 25, 2011 - 42.5%
Oct 9, 2011 - 40.5%
Feb 26, 2012 - 45.5%
June 17, 2012 - 42.0%
Jul 15, 2012 - 39.0%
Oct 7, 2012 - 43.5%