Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information	Jun. 30, 2012
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	Matson, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0000003453
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	42,403,694
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2012

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income (Unaudited) (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011
Operating Revenue:
Ocean transportation	$ 299.5	$ 274.3	$ 579.0	$ 512.7
Logistic services	94.7	103.1	181.3	194.4
Total operating revenue	394.2	377.4	760.3	707.1
Costs and Expenses:
Operating costs	329.0	323.0	659.0	619.1
Equity in income of terminal joint venture	(1.6)	(2.8)	(2.4)	(4.0)
Selling, general and administrative	28.5	28.0	56.8	56.1
Separation costs	5.8		8.3
Operating costs and expenses	361.7	348.2	721.7	671.2
Operating Income	32.5	29.2	38.6	35.9
Interest expense	(1.9)	(1.9)	(3.9)	(3.8)
Income from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes	30.6	27.3	34.7	32.1
Income tax expense	15.3	9.6	17.4	11.4
Income From Continuing Operations	15.3	17.7	17.3	20.7
Income (Loss) From Discontinued Operations (net of income taxes)	(7.5)	1.0	(6.1)	3.2
Net Income	7.8	18.7	11.2	23.9
Other Comprehensive Income, Net of Tax:
Net Income	7.8	18.7	11.2	23.9
Defined benefit pension plans:
Less: amortization of prior service cost included in net periodic pension cost	(0.2)	0.1	(0.3)	0.1
Less: amortization of net loss included in net periodic pension cost	(0.2)	0.1	0.9	0.8
Other Comprehensive Income	(0.4)	0.2	0.6	0.9
Comprehensive Income	$ 7.4	$ 18.9	$ 11.8	$ 24.8
Basic Earnings Per Share:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 0.36	$ 0.42	$ 0.41	$ 0.50
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	$ (0.18)	$ 0.03	$ (0.14)	$ 0.07
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 0.18	$ 0.45	$ 0.27	$ 0.57
Diluted Earnings Per Share:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 0.36	$ 0.42	$ 0.41	$ 0.50
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	$ (0.18)	$ 0.02	$ (0.15)	$ 0.07
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 0.18	$ 0.44	$ 0.26	$ 0.57
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	42.3	41.7	42.1	41.6
Diluted (in shares)	42.8	42.2	42.5	42.0
Cash Dividends Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.315	$ 0.315	$ 0.63	$ 0.63

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 35.5	$ 9.8
Accounts and notes receivable, net	170.6	167.7
Inventories	4.4	4.2
Deferred income taxes	1.4	1.3
Prepaid expenses and other assets	24.9	27.2
Current assets related to A&B discontinued operations		64.8
Total current assets	236.8	275.0
Investments in Affiliate	58.7	56.5
Property, at cost	1,771.3	1,760.7
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(988.3)	(960.2)
Property - net	783.0	800.5
Other Assets	111.0	95.2
Long term assets related to A&B discontinued operations		1,317.1
Total	1,189.5	2,544.3
Current Liabilities:
Notes payable and current portion of long-term debt	28.4	17.5
Accounts payable	130.2	135.5
Payroll and vacation benefits	15.1	16.0
Uninsured claims	7.1	6.6
Due to affiliate		2.2
Accrued and other liabilities	26.9	13.8
Current liabilities related to A&B discontinued operations		87.1
Total current liabilities	207.7	278.7
Long-term Liabilities:
Long-term debt	344.4	180.1
Deferred income taxes	252.0	255.1
Employee benefit plans	105.1	113.0
Due to affiliate		0.5
Uninsured claims and other liabilities	33.0	24.3
Long term liabilities related to A&B discontinued operations		570.1
Total long-term liabilities	734.5	1,143.1
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 3)
Shareholders' Equity:
Capital stock	31.8	34.0
Additional capital	246.9	238.3
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(43.7)	(91.9)
Retained earnings	12.3	953.0
Cost of treasury stock		(10.9)
Total shareholders' equity	247.3	1,122.5
Total	$ 1,189.5	$ 2,544.3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) [Abstract]
Cash Flows Provided by Operating Activities from Continuing Operations	$ 20.7	$ 26.1
Cash Flows from Investing Activities from Continuing Operations:
Capital expenditures	(17.5)	(27.9)
Proceeds from disposal of property and other assets	0.5	0.9
Deposits into Capital Construction Fund	(2.2)	(2.2)
Withdrawals from Capital Construction Fund	2.2	2.2
Contribution from A&B	26.7	16.3
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities from continuing operations	9.7	(10.7)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities from Continuing Operations:
Proceeds from issuance of debt, net of issuance costs	185.1	115.8
Payments of debt	(5.7)	(109.7)
Proceeds from (payments on) line-of-credit agreements, net	(6.0)
Distribution upon Separation	151.4
Proceeds from issuance of capital stock	21.7	9.0
Distribution to A&B for proceeds from issuance of capital stock	(21.7)
Cash assumed by A&B upon separation	(2.5)
Dividends paid	(26.7)	(26.6)
Net cash used in financing activities from continuing operations	(7.2)	(11.5)
Cash Flows from Discontinued Operations:
Cash flows used in operating activities of discontinued operations	(24.3)	(8.5)
Cash flows used in investing activities of discontinued operations	(18.8)	(5.6)
Cash flows from financing activities of discontinued operations	33.9	11.2
Net cash flows used in discontinued operations	(9.2)	(2.9)
Net Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents	14.0	1.0
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	21.5	14.0
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	35.5	15.0
Other Cash Flow Information:
Interest paid	4.3	3.9
Income taxes paid	14.1	0.2
Other Non-cash Information:
Depreciation and amortization expense	37.2	36.5
Accrued dividend	6.4	13.1
Capital expenditures included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$ 1.7	$ 5.4

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Stockholders'Equity (Unaudited) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Total	Common Stock	Treasury	Additional Capital	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Retained Earnings
Balance at Dec. 31, 2011	$ 1,122.5	$ 34.0	$ (10.9)	$ 238.3	$ (91.9)	$ 953.0
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2011		45.3	(3.6)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Net Income	11.2					11.2
Other comprehensive income	1.3				1.3
Excess tax benefit and share withholding	(2.6)	(0.1)		0.1		(2.6)
Excess tax benefit and share withholding (in shares)		(0.1)
Share-based compensation	4.3			4.3
Shares issued	19.8	0.6		19.2
Shares issued (in shares)		0.8
Retirement of treasury shares		(2.7)	10.9	(8.2)
Retirement of treasury shares (in shares)		(3.6)	3.6
Dividends	(26.7)					(26.7)
Distribution of A&B Stock	(882.5)			(6.8)	46.9	(922.6)
Balance at Jun. 30, 2012	$ 247.3	$ 31.8		$ 246.9	$ (43.7)	$ 12.3
Balance (in shares) at Jun. 30, 2012		42.4

Description of Business

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

Description of Business [Abstract]

Description of Business

(1) Description of Business: “Matson” or the “Company” means Matson, Inc., a holding company incorporated in January 2012 in the State of Hawaii, together with its operating company, Matson Navigation Company, Inc. (“MatNav”), and all of its subsidiaries. MatNav is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Matson, Inc.

Founded in 1882, Matson is one of the premier U.S. carriers in the Pacific. Matson provides a vital lifeline to the island economies of Hawaii, Guam and Micronesia, and operates a premium, expedited service from China to Southern California. The Company’s fleet of 17 vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges. Matson Logistics, Inc. (“MLI”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of MatNav, was established in 1987 and extends the geographic reach of Matson’s transportation network throughout the continental U.S. MLI’s integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage and warehousing.

Ocean Transportation: The Ocean Transportation segment of Matson’s business, which is conducted through MatNav, is an asset-based business that generates revenue primarily through the carriage of containerized freight between various U.S. Pacific Coast, Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia, China and other Pacific island ports.

Also, the Company has a 35 percent ownership interest in SSA Terminals, LLC (“SSAT”) through a joint venture between Matson Ventures, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of MatNav, and SSA Ventures, Inc. (“SSA”), a subsidiary of Carrix, Inc. SSAT provides terminal and stevedoring services to numerous international carriers at six terminal facilities on the U.S. Pacific Coast and to MatNav at several of those facilities. Matson records its share of income in the joint venture in operating expenses within the ocean transportation segment due to the nature of the business.

Logistics: The Logistics Services segment of Matson’s business, which is conducted through MLI, is an asset-light based business that is a provider of domestic and international rail intermodal service (“Intermodal”), long-haul and regional highway brokerage, specialized hauling, flat-bed and project work, less-than-truckload services, expedited freight services, and warehousing and distribution services (collectively “Highway”). Warehousing, packaging and distribution services are provided by Matson Logistics Warehousing, Inc. (“MLW”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of MLI.

Separation Transaction: On December 1, 2011, Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., the former parent company of MatNav (the “Former Parent Company”), announced that its Board of Directors unanimously approved a plan to pursue the separation (the “Separation”) of the Former Parent Company to create two independent, publicly traded companies:

· Matson, a Hawaii-based ocean transportation company serving the U.S. Pacific Coast, Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia and China, and a domestic logistics company; and

· Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. (“A&B”), a Hawaii-based land company with interests in real estate development, commercial real estate and agriculture.

On February 13, 2012, the Former Parent Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger to reorganize itself as a holding company incorporated in Hawaii, Alexander & Baldwin Holdings, Inc. (“Holdings”). The holding company structure helped facilitate the Separation through the organization and segregation of the assets of the two businesses. In addition, the holding company reorganization was intended to help preserve the Company’s status as a U.S. citizen under certain U.S. maritime and vessel documentation laws (popularly referred to as the Jones Act) by, among other things, limiting the percentage of outstanding shares of common stock in the holding company that may be owned (of record or beneficially) or controlled in the aggregate by non-U.S. citizens (as defined by the Jones Act) to a maximum permitted percentage of 22%.

The Separation was completed June 29, 2012. Immediately following the Separation, the Company changed its name from Alexander & Baldwin Holdings, Inc. to Matson, Inc. Thus Matson is the successor company to the Former Parent Company for accounting purposes. In the Separation, the shareholders of Holdings received one share of common stock of A&B for every share of Holdings held of record as of the record date, June 18, 2012.

Prior to the completion of the Separation, the Company and A&B entered into a Separation and Distribution Agreement, Tax Sharing Agreement and an Employee Matters Agreement, each dated June 8, 2012, that govern the post-Separation relationship. These agreements provide that each party is responsible for its respective assets, liabilities and obligations following the Separation, including employee benefits, information technology, insurance and tax-related assets and liabilities. In addition, the Company and A&B entered into a Transition Services Agreement, dated June 8, 2012, under which each company agreed to provide the other with various services on an interim, transitional basis, for up to 24 months.

Also in relation to the Separation, intercompany receivables, payables, loans and other accounts between A&B and Matson, in existence immediately prior to the effective time were satisfied and/or settled; and intercompany agreements and all other arrangements in effect immediately prior to the distribution have been terminated or canceled, subject to certain exceptions.

Matson expects to incur total cash outflows of $165.9 million in relation to the Separation. The total cash outflows are made up of three components: capital distribution, capitalized debt issuance costs, and separation related expenses referred to as Separation costs in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.

The breakdown of Separation cash outflows are as follows (in millions):

	Separation Cash Outflows
Capital distribution to A&B (A)	$	155.7
Separation costs (B)	8.3
Capitalized debt financing costs	1.9
Total cash outflow related to the Separation	$	165.9

(A) Includes a net distribution of $4.3 million to be paid out during the second half of 2012 related to the settlement of certain liabilities of the Former Parent Company.

(B) Of the $8.3 million in Separation costs, $5.8 million, $4.8 million net of tax, were recorded in the second quarter of 2012 and $2.5 million, $2.1 million net of tax, were recorded in the first quarter of 2012.

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

(2) The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited. Due to the nature of the Company’s operations, the results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year. These Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for fair presentation of the results of the interim periods; they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in the Former Parent Company’s Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

The period end for Matson, Inc. is June 30. The period end for MatNav occurred on the last Friday in June, except for MLW, whose period closed on June 30.

Certain amounts reflected in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 have been reclassified to discontinued operations to conform to the presentation for the three and six months ended June 30, 2012.

Description of Business (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Feb. 29, 2012 item	Dec. 31, 2011 item	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012 item
Description of Business [Abstract]
Number of vessels owned					17
Ownership interest in SSAT (as a percent)			35.00%		35.00%
Number of terminal facilities on which SSAT provides terminal and stevedoring services to Matnav and numerous international carriers					6
Number of publicly traded companies to be created after separation		2
Number of businesses wherein assets are segregated under reorganization	2
Maximum ownership interest that may be owned by non-U.S. citizens (as a percent)					22.00%
Maximum period during which services are to be provided under Transition Services Agreement					24
Total cash outflows expected to be incurred in relation to separation					$ 165.4
Total capital distributions to A&B (A)					155.7
Separation costs (B)			5.8	2.5	8.3
Capitalized debt financing costs					1.9
Total cash outflow related to the Separation					165.9
Net distribution in relation to separation			4.3
Separation costs, net of tax			$ 4.8	$ 2.1

Commitments, Guarantees and Contingencies (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2012
Standby letters of credit [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Contingent Obligations, Maximum Exposure	$ 7
Letters of credit amount that enables qualification as self-insurer	5
Letters of credit to support credit enhancement needs	2
Performance and customs bonds [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Contingent Obligations, Maximum Exposure	14
U.S. Customs Bonds	13
Bonds related to transportation and other matters	1
Benefit plan withdrawal obligations [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Multiemployer Plan Withdrawal Obligation	$ 87

Share-Based Compensation, Options Activity (Details) (Stock Options [Member], USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options cancelled in connection with separation (in shares)	2,900,000
Activity in the Company's stock option plans [Roll Forward]
Outstanding, beginning of period (in shares)	2,096,000
Granted (in shares)	111,000
Exercised (in shares)	(518,000)
Forfeited and expired (in shares)	(7,000)
Outstanding, end of period (in shares)	1,682,000
Exercisable (in shares)	1,207,000
Stock option plans, additional disclosures [Abstract]
Outstanding, weighted average exercise price, beginning of period (in dollars per share)	$ 20.11
Granted, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 23.74
Exercised, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 16.63
Forfeited and expired, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 19.90
Outstanding, weighted average exercise price, end of period (in dollars per share)	$ 21.43
Exercisable, weighted average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$ 21.75
Outstanding, weighted average contractual life (in years)	5.1
Exercisable, weighted average contractual life (in years)	3.9
Outstanding, aggregate intrinsic value	$ 6,518
Exercisable, aggregate intrinsic value	$ 4,363
Plan 2007 [Member]
Activity in the Company's stock option plans [Roll Forward]
Outstanding, beginning of period (in shares)	1,329,000
Granted (in shares)	111,000
Exercised (in shares)	(313,000)
Forfeited and expired (in shares)	(5,000)
Outstanding, end of period (in shares)	1,122,000
Exercisable (in shares)	647,000
Plan 1998 [Member]
Activity in the Company's stock option plans [Roll Forward]
Outstanding, beginning of period (in shares)	767,000
Exercised (in shares)	(205,000)
Forfeited and expired (in shares)	(2,000)
Outstanding, end of period (in shares)	560,000
Exercisable (in shares)	560,000

Share-Based Compensation, Restricted Stock Units (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Non-vested restricted stock units cancelled in connection with separation (in shares)	300,000
Non-vested restricted stock unit activity, additional disclosures [Abstract]
Outstanding, weighted average grant-date fair value, beginning of period (in dollars per share)	$ 18.45
Granted, weighted average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 20.95
Vested, weighted average grant-date fair value (in dollars per share)	$ 17.15
Canceled, weighted average grant-date fair value (in dollars per shares)	$ 20.50
Outstanding, weighted average grant-date fair value, end of period (in dollars per shares)	$ 20.17
2007 Plan [Member] \| Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Non-vested restricted stock unit activity [Roll Forward]
Outstanding, beginning of period (in shares)	394,000
Granted (in shares)	189,000
Vested (in shares)	(150,000)
Canceled (in shares)	(96,000)
Outstanding, end of period (in shares)	337,000
Non-vested restricted stock unit activity, additional disclosures [Abstract]
Vesting period of awards granted (in years)	3
2007 Plan [Member] \| Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Non-vested restricted stock unit activity, additional disclosures [Abstract]
Vesting period of awards granted (in years)	3

Pension and Post-retirement Plans (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012 Pension Benefits [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Pension Benefits [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Post-retirement Benefits [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Post-retirement Benefits [Member]
Components of net periodic benefit cost [Abstract]
Service cost			$ 1.3	$ 2.8	$ 0.4	$ 0.4
Interest cost			4.5	5.4	1.1	1.4
Expected return on plan assets			(5.3)	(5.6)
Amortization of prior service cost			(0.7)			0.1
Amortization of net (gain) loss			4.3	2.0	0.9	1.0
Net periodic benefit cost			4.1	4.6	2.4	2.9
Cash contributed to pension plan	10.9	10.9
Estimated full year cash contributions to pension plan	$ 2.4	$ 13.3

Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Fair Value of Financial Instruments [Abstract]
Carrying amount of long-term debt	$ 372.8	$ 197.5
Fair value of long-term debt	$ 380.3	$ 209.1

Income Taxes (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012
Income Taxes
Non-deductible separation costs	$ 1.2	$ 1.7