Bill Hamlin Joins Horizon Lines as Senior VP of Operations

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Lines, Inc. (NYSE: HRZ), the nation's leading domestic ocean shipping company, today announced that William A. Hamlin has been named Senior Vice President of Operations for the company's Horizon Lines, LLC operating subsidiary. Mr. Hamlin reports to Brian Taylor, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, of Horizon Lines, Inc.

In his new role, Mr. Hamlin oversees Horizon Lines' ocean transportation services, inland services, the order-to-cash cycle, maintenance, safety, security, network operations, North America terminals and technology. He is based in the Dallas, Texas operations center, which he helped develop during his tenure with the company's predecessor, Sea-Land Service, Inc. (Sea-Land).

"Bill Hamlin brings an extensive background in all aspects of our operating environment and unique experience working with other leaders in our industry," said Mr. Taylor. "In addition, he has strong relationships with sea-going and shore-side maritime union leaders. Throughout his career, Bill has demonstrated the management and team-building skills critical to creating successful organizations. He is a very welcome addition at Horizon Lines."

Mr. Hamlin played an important leadership role during the years of growth and expansion at Sea-Land. Joining the company in 1986, he managed the global container and chassis fleet, as well rail and truck operations, and set an industry standard for container asset utilization.  Mr. Hamlin was Vice President Transportation and Equipment Operations when he left Sea-Land in 1999, after the international business was sold to A.P. Moller-Maersk Group.    

He then joined American President Lines (APL) as Vice President Operations, responsible for all port, equipment and inland transportation for the Americas. He rose to President of APL North America and also served as President of APL's Eagle Marine Services unit, overseeing operations for four U.S. West Coast terminals in Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle and Dutch Harbor, Alaska. In 2004, Mr. Hamlin joined Norwegian Cruise Line as Executive Vice President and was responsible for Fleet Operations and new builds. He led the project team in France that built the $1.5 billion Norwegian Epic, the second-largest cruise ship ever built at that time.

Mr. Hamlin began his career in Saudi Arabia, after graduating from the University of Maine. He held several positions in international trade and transportation in Riyadh and Jeddah before joining U.S. Lines, where he was stationed in both Saudi Arabia and Brazil.

Mr. Hamlin has served as a board member of the Pacific Maritime Association and the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association. He is a member of the board of the University of Denver Intermodal Transportation Institute, as well as other industry affiliations, including Chair of the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association (OCEMA) and Co-Chair of the Intermodal Freight Transportation Working Group (IFTWG).

About Horizon Lines

Horizon Lines, Inc. is the nation's leading domestic ocean shipping and integrated logistics company. The company owns or leases a fleet of 20 U.S.-flag containerships and operates five port terminals linking the continental United States with Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia, and Puerto Rico. The company provides express trans-Pacific service between the U.S. West Coast and the ports of Ningbo and Shanghai in China, manages a domestic and overseas service partner network and provides integrated, reliable and cost competitive logistics solutions. Horizon Lines, Inc., is based in Charlotte, NC, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HRZ.

SOURCE Horizon Lines, Inc.