Matson, the U.S.-based container line, said fourth-quarter results were marginally weaker on lower container volumes but got a boost from its box terminal joint venture business.
Container shipments fell by 2.3% from the same quarter in 2025 as trade war effects pushed China volumes down by 7.2%.
Operating income for ocean transportation decreased to $136 million from $137.4 million on revenue of $704.2 million, down from $742.1 million y/y.
Matson (NYSE: MATX), based in Honolulu, saw revenue of $9.3 million from its SSA Terminals joint venture at U.S. West Coast ports such as Tacoma. Matson wrote off $18 million associated with SSAT in 2025.
The company expects lower volume y/y in the first quarter, with full-year traffic to be modestly higher than 2025, on continued solid U.S. consumer demand and a stable trading environment in the trans-Pacific. tradelane.
For the year, Matson posted ocean revenue of $2.74 billion, down from $2.81 billion a year ago. Operating income fell to $455.6 million from $500.9 million. Results included payment to China of $6.4 million in trade war port fees, when Beijing and Washington were taxing the other’s ships.
Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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