Thursday, September 20, 2007


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sep. 20, 2007 (PR Newswire delivered by Newstex) -- Stressing that 'ordinary people can do extraordinary good if given a chance,' U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., on the floor of the U.S. Congress recently commended the bravery of the crew of the Horizon Falcon containership operated by Horizon Lines, Inc. (NYSE: HRZ), the leading U.S. domestic ocean carrier and integrated logistics company.

Rep. Foxx was speaking about the dramatic rescue this summer of Chinese seafarers in Asian seas performed by the American crew of the Horizon Falcon, a 722-foot containership.

'We live in a time when it is easy to pass up opportunities to help someone in distress with the assumption that someone else will take care of it,' said Rep. Foxx. 'But in the spirit of the Good Samaritan ... they deserve to be commended for reaching out across boundaries of language and culture and helping people in dire need.'

She continued, 'I wish to extend my thanks to all the people at this fine North Carolina company for a job well done. They have shown what they value most, which is to protect human lives at all cost and to reach out to those in need. I hope other companies take notice and follow their lead in this exemplary deed.'

Rep. Foxx, who represents North Carolina's Fifth District, tied the rescue to a recognition of the United States Coast Guard, noting that when Americans think of open-seas rescue operations, 'they think rightly about our Nation's Coast Guard, which has a distinguished history of search and rescue missions dating back 217 years.'

'But it turns out the Coast Guard isn't the only one assisting seafarers in distress these days,' she said. Reciting details of the rescue, Rep. Foxx noted that the ship's crew came to the rescue of Chinese crewmembers on a 420- foot log ship this summer after the ship encountered the 70-mile-per-hour winds and 24-foot seas of a typhoon. The rough seas apparently caused the log ship's cargo to shift, which led to the loss of the vessel.

The Horizon Falcon was the first vessel to arrive on the scene after the log ship's crew alerted the Coast Guard. Horizon Lines is a member of AMVER, a voluntary program sponsored by U.S. Coast Guard for mutual vessel assistance and rescue. 'When the Horizon Falcon arrived, it found survivors in the water surrounded by an oil slick and debris from the sunken ship. With the U.S. Coast Guard on the way, the Horizon Lines' vessel immediately began a search and rescue operation amidst treacherous 30-foot swells and 40-mile-an-hour winds,' Rep. Foxx recounted.

She told the members of congress how the Horizon Falcon's captain, Tom McDorr, navigated through the heavy seas filled with the log ship's cargo and managed to get the huge container ship within range of a rescue mission using one of the ship's lifeboats. 'I cannot say enough to commend the bravery of these men who risked their lives to save someone with whom they had no connection. Their selfless act was a demonstration of profound humanity in the face of extreme danger,' said Rep. Foxx.

'Working against time and the power of nature, the captain and crew of the Horizon Falcon risked their own lives so others might emerge from a disastrous shipwreck to sail another day,' she said.

Rep. Foxx quoted Charles G. 'Chuck' Raymond, Chairman, President and CEO of Horizon Lines, Inc., and a former seafarer himself: 'Ever since man has been going to sea, there has been danger. But there also has been and will ever be brotherhood at sea that crosses any boundary. This rescue effort is a shining example of that.'

About Horizon Lines

Horizon Lines, Inc. is the nation's leading domestic ocean shipping and integrated logistics company comprised of two primary operating subsidiaries. Horizon Lines, LLC, operates a fleet of 21 U.S.-flag containerships and 5 port terminals linking the continental United States with Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia and Puerto Rico. Horizon Logistics, LLC offers customized logistics solutions to shippers from a suite of transportation and distribution management services designed by Aero Logistics, information technology developed by Horizon Services Group and intermodal trucking and warehousing services provided by Sea-Logix. 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.



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