Raymond: Horizon Lines free to go international next year

Raymond: Horizon Lines free to go international next year    U.S. Jones Act carrier Horizon Lines will consider whether to enter the international container trades next year, when its non-compete agreement with Maersk, the buyer of former Sea-Land Service, comes to an end. Horizon Lines’ domestic shipping activities were previously part of Sea-Land.
   “Looking ahead, next year will be an interesting time… that’s when our non-compete agreement with Maersk expires,” Charles Raymond, chief executive officer of Horizon, told a meeting of the U.S. Military Traffic Management Command in Honolulu.
   Raymond added that Horizon will then be free to enter the international trades, although it does not currently “have definite plans.”
   “All I can tell you is that we’re looking for opportunities that will match our services and our capabilities,” he added. “It is of course a prime opportunity for us to grow.”
   Horizon currently operates 17 ships between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and the non-contiguous state of Alaska.