Horizon Lines Inc. has instituted a 15-day transit schedule for containerized cargo moving from Shanghai to Kansas City, MO. The carrier launched its Five-Star Express (FSX) ocean service in December, with Kansas City serving as a key hub in the express ocean and rail intermodal offering. According to Horizon, the service comes at a time when other carriers are reducing inland locations and slowing vessel speeds. The Five-Star Express is aimed at U.S. retailers that are maintaining low inventory levels and require fast and reliable transit, the company said. Horizon is also a provider of U.S. domestic ocean-shipping and logistics services, operating a weekly schedule between the mainland and domestic offshore markets in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico. The company owns or leases a fleet of 20 U.S.-flag containerships, and operates five port terminals linking the continental U.S. with Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia and Puerto Rico. Horizon provides express trans-Pacific service between the U.S. West Coast and the Chinese ports of Ningbo and Shanghai.
