"We continue to make great progress with our new China service," said Brian Taylor, Senior Vice President of International Services at Horizon Lines. "Market receptivity to our new service remains very strong and as of today, we are now over 45% subscribed on the first sailing."
Beginning on December 13, 2010, Horizon Lines will launch a weekly liner service, named the Five Star Express, with port calls at Shanghai and Ningbo in Central China; and Los Angeles and Oakland in California. Using five 2,824 TEU capacity Hunter Class vessels, Horizon Lines will offer some of the fastest transit times in the transpacific trade, including 11-day port-to-port transit from Shanghai to Los Angeles, with Monday morning cargo availability every week at the nation's busiest import gateway.
Horizon Lines completed its first live test of the service last month with the Eastbound voyage of the Horizon Enterprise, as it stopped in Shanghai on its return from a dry-dock in Asia. Customer support was very strong and all operations were handled by Horizon Lines' new Owner's Representative and General Agent in China with great success. In August, Horizon Lines announced Mr. Hon Wing Lam as its Owner's Representative and Ben Line Agencies as its General Agent to support the company's ongoing sales and operations in Shanghai and Ningbo.
