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Shipping firm Matson Navigation Co. has announced that it is raising its bunker fuel surcharge for shipments between the US mainland and Hawaii.

Matson, Hawaii's largest ocean shipper, said that it will be increasing its fuel charge from 20 percent to 28 percent for its Hawaii service, effective July 5th.

The 8 percentage point increase is the largest single jump since the company began implementing the fuel surcharge in 1999. It is also the third consecutive surcharge increase, pushing it to its highest level since October 2008.

Matson said that it also plans to increase its surcharge by 8 percentage points for shipments to Guam/Northern Mariana Islands and Micronesia from 21.5 percent to 29.5 percent.

"As many of our customers are aware, fuel prices have risen dramatically in recent months," said Dave Hoppes, senior vice president, ocean services.

"Fuel costs directly impact Matson and other transportation companies' operating costs and are an unavoidable expense. We had hoped that fuel costs would moderate, but just the opposite has occurred. We will continue to monitor fuel costs and adjust the fuel surcharge accordingly."