Matson is again lowering the fuel surcharge for its Hawai'i service thanks to falling fuel prices.

The fuel surcharge is being lowered from 33 percent to 27 percent.

The fuel surcharge for the Guam and Micronesia is also being lowered, from 34.5 percent to 28.5 percent

The changes are effective Sunday.

"Matson is very pleased to be able make its third decrease in its fuel surcharge in the past month," said Dave Hoppes, Matson senior vice president for ocean services, in a news release. "Following an extended period in which oil costs hit historical record highs, it is encouraging to see this downward trend continue to be reflected in the prices the company is now paying for bunker fuel.

"While Matson has made a practice of giving 30 days notice of rate adjustments, we are again passing this decrease on to our customers as soon as possible so that they can quickly realize the benefits of this reduction during this difficult economic environment."

Hoppes said the surcharge drop will translate into a decrease in shipping costs from $140 to $220 per container.

Matson's last adjustment to its fuel surcharge was a decrease of 4.5 percentage points for its Hawai'i, Guam/CNMI and Micronesia services, effective Oct. 12.

With this latest adjustment, Matson's fuel surcharge will have dropped 15.25 percentage points since Sept. 21.