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DHX - Dependable Hawaiian Express
6/6/2024
NEWS UPDATE
Dear Valued Customer,
We are providing the following for your information:
HITCO Closed June 11, 2024
We have been informed by HITCO Moving & Storage they will be closed on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in observance of King Kamehameha Day. Our Hilo delivery services will resume on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.
Fourth Of July Terminals Closure
All DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express terminals will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2024, in observance of the Fourth of July.
Fourth of July Holiday Vessel Schedules and Cutoffs
All West Coast operations will be open on Friday, July 5th.
DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express – Southern California:
The cutoff for hazardous freight for the Friday, July 5th sail is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 2nd. The cutoff for non-hazardous freight to Hawaii will be 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 3rd. Hazardous freight received on Friday, July 5th, will be booked to the next available sailing on Wednesday, July 10th.
DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express – Northern California:
The cutoff for hazardous freight for the Wednesday, July 3rd, and Friday, July 5th sailing is 3:30 p.m. on Monday, July 1st, and 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 2nd for non-hazardous freight.
DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express – Seattle:
The cutoff for hazardous freight for the Saturday, July 6th sailing is 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 2nd. For non-hazardous freight will be 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3rd.
We have been advised by Matson Navigation Company (“Matson”) their Hawaii and Guam service port facilities will observe the Fourth of July holiday on Tuesday, July 4, with hours of operation as follows:
Long Beach | Thursday, July 4 | CY – Normal Hours |
| | Auto Lot – CLOSED |
| Friday, July 5 | CY and Auto Lot – CLOSED |
| | |
Oakland | Thursday, July 4 | CY – Normal Hours |
| | Auto Lot – CLOSED |
| Friday, July 5 | CY and Auto Lot – CLOSED |
| | |
Tacoma | Thursday, July 4 | CY and Auto Lot – CLOSED |
| Friday, July 5 | CY – CLOSED; Auto Lot – Normal Hours |
| | |
Honolulu | Thursday, July 4 | CY – Normal Hours |
| | Auto Lot – CLOSED |
Hilo/Kawaihae | Thursday, July 4 | CY – Normal Hours |
| | Auto Lot – CLOSED |
Nawiliwili | Thursday, July 4 | CY – Normal Hours; Auto Lot – CLOSED |
Kahului | Thursday, July 4 | CY – Normal Hours; Auto Lot – CLOSED |
Guam | Thursday, July 4 | CY – CLOSED |
| | Office and Auto Lot – CLOSED |
All vessels will maintain their regularly scheduled departure and arrival times, with the exception for Mokihana 472W, which will depart Oakland on Wednesday, July 3.
As in years past, mainland ports will observe the ILWU Holiday “Bloody Thursday” on July 5, which falls on a Friday this year. Hawaii and Guam terminals will operate normal gate hours on Friday, July 5.
Holiday Schedules
The offices below will be closed in observance of the following holidays:
New Zealand | Matariki | June 28 |
Australia | King's Birthday (MEL, SYD, ADL, DRW, CBR) | June 10 |
Philippines | Independence Day | June 12 |
Please remember that these offices are across the International Dateline. Therefore, the dates above reflect their origin.
Pacific Tariff Restructuring effective June 30, 2024
As a reminder, we have been advised by Matson Navigation Company (“Matson”) that they will significantly restructure their tariffs for Hawaii, Guam, and Micronesia, and Pasha Hawaii will restructure their tariffs for Hawaii. The intent is to improve consistency in the application and administration of surcharges and restore the historical balance of their ocean Fuel Surcharge (FSC).
These changes will involve how they bill their Wharfage and the harbor use fee levied by the Hawaii State Department of Transportation - Harbors Division to help fund harbor initiatives, including the ongoing development of Honolulu’s primary container terminals. These changes will include a significant reduction to their ocean-related FSC to bring it more in line with historical levels, and proportional adjustments to the base Ocean Freight rates.
Most importantly, these changes will not result in any change to your current total cost. Here's how it breaks down:
Hawaii Wharfage
Wharfage is intended to be a pass-through charge, but historically, the fee has been embedded in their Ocean Freight rate. When the State Wharfage fee changes - annually on July 1 - these ocean rates had been adjusted to reflect the amount of the related fee change.
Effective with this change, Matson will begin breaking out the Wharfage fee as a separate line item in all tariffs, simplifying their tariff structure and administrative processes while also making this fee more transparent. As a result, the ocean freight rate will be reduced accordingly, again ensuring no impact on our customers' total cost.
Fuel Surcharge (FSC)
In compliance with the increasingly stringent global environmental regulations that have impacted fuel costs, HI Ocean Carriers are now using liquified natural gas (LNG), a leading “bridge fuel” that produces lower engine exhaust emissions compared to traditional marine fuels. The HI Ocean Carriers have also begun using biofuel as part of their decarbonization strategy. LNG and biofuel are more expensive than conventional, less environmentally friendly fuel types.
Accordingly, they are restructuring their FSC at a lower level to restore balance in the proportional relationship between their FSC and base ocean rate—with no monetary impact on our customers.
Effective Sunday, June 30, 2024, the ocean FSC for Hawaii and Guam shipments will be reduced by 50%. As a result, the new Hawaii FSC will be 22.0%, and the new FSC for Guam will be 23.0%. Effective Sunday, July 14, 2024, Micronesia will be reduced by 50%, and the new FSC will be 23.0%.
They will simultaneously raise base ocean rates by the same dollar amount and separate the Hawaii wharfage fee, while ensuring no impact on our customer’s total cost.
These unprecedented changes will require our updating of both LCL and FCL rate structures.
Again, the end result will be the same as the current cost.
Annual State of Hawaii Wharfage & Port Security Fee Effective July 1, 2024
As a reminder, the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, in connection with the Harbors Division’s financing plan for its Harbors Modernization Program, announced they will implement an increase of 3.9% to the wharfage and port security fees, effective July 1, 2024. To mirror these State fee increases, the ocean carriers will increase their related charges by the identical amounts on July 1, 2024.
DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express will pass through these State fees for shipments sailing on and after Saturday, July 1, 2024. Although this is a 3.9% increase by the State, we will be increasing our less-than-container loads (LCL) wharfage fees by $.01 per cubic foot for all islands, which amounts to less than a 2% increase on wharfage. For full container loads (FCL), costs will be passed through at cost.
We will pass on at cost the Port Facility Security Fee increase for FCL at $25.11 for Oahu and $37.68 for Outer Island shipments sailing on and after Saturday, July 1, 2024. For LCL, there will be an increase of $.01 per cubic foot for the Outer Islands only. As we have done for the past three years, we will again absorb the increase for LCL to Oahu.
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Should you have additional questions, please contact your local office or our Corporate Customer Service Center at 800.488.4888, Ext. 2020, or email us at custserv@dhx.com.
Thank you for your business - we appreciate it!