Horizon Lines has extended its agreement to call at the Port of Tacoma for at least six more years.
Horizon’s prior agreement with APM Terminals was scheduled to expire Dec. 10.
This new agreement confirms continued stevedoring and terminal services with APM Terminals in five North American cities, including Tacoma. In the Pacific Northwest, the shipping line considered several options, including moving operations out of Tacoma.
The agreement keeps about 150 terminal-related jobs in Pierce County.
Horizon Lines, based in Charlotte, N.C., runs two sailings per week between Alaska and Tacoma, and one service between Hawaii and Tacoma. APM Terminals receives about 150 ship calls a year from Horizon Lines.
About 70 percent of the goods shipped to Alaska come across Tacoma docks. This Alaska trade added up to more than $3 billion last year.
Horizon Lines has called in Tacoma since 1985, when it was part of Sea-Land. In 1998, AP Moller-Maersk acquired the international component of Sea-Land, renaming it Maersk Sealand. Sea-Land’s domestic division became Horizon Lines in 2001.
APM Terminals was formed in 2001 as a sister company to Maersk Sealand to focus on worldwide terminal operations. Both lines called at APM Terminals until June 2009, when Maersk shifted its Pacific Northwest calls to Seattle as part of a vessel-sharing agreement with CMA CGM.
About the Port of Tacoma
The Port of Tacoma is an economic engine for South Puget Sound, with more than 43,000 family-wage jobs in Pierce County and 113,000 jobs across Washington state connected to Port activities. A major gateway to Asia and Alaska, the Port of Tacoma is among the largest container ports in North America. The Port is also a major center for bulk, breakbulk and project/heavy-lift cargoes, as well as automobiles and trucks.
Contact: Tara Mattina, Port of Tacoma, (253) 428-8674