Spotlight on: Horizon Lines

Ensuring sustained environmental protection has always been at the forefront of operations at Horizon Lines, LLC. Horizon Lines emphasizes environmental excellence through conservation techniques, waste stream management, system upgrades, and voluntary compliance. The company’s environmental policies extend above and beyond the current industry standards.

Examples of Horizon Lines' environmental excellence include:

• Tasking each Horizon associate with complying fully with all international (MARPOL) and U.S. environmental laws and regulations.
• Reducing fuel consumption though plant efficiency improvements and by optimizing steam ship fuel rates.
• Upgrading boiler control automation to reduce fuel oil consumption and emissions.
• Completing the switch to underwater hull coatings that are free of TBT’s (tributyl tin).
• Purchasing and consuming residual fuels with less than 2.5% sulphur content for diesel and steam plants.
• Voluntarily burning ultra low-sulphur fuels in all auxiliary diesel engines while transiting and operating in California waters.
• Reducing fleet fuel consumption by 2% through the EDGE process.
• Adoption of an environmental 3rd party-independent audit program to enhance mariner compliance and education.
• Modernizing the fleet to utilize the best technologies available to reduce SOX, NOX and particulate matter emission.
• Investing in Hunter Class (D8) Vessels which are outfitted with the latest technologies for enhanced engine performance, reduced fuel and lube oil consumption and reduced exhaust emissions.
• Introducing the latest weather routing technology that enables the reduction of engine loadings, fuel consumption and emissions.
• Monitoring and participating in deep sea - ballast water transfer programs and limiting the need to transfer ballast in port.
• Testing the latest technologies for treating against the incubation of invasive species in ballast water.
• Utilization of biodegradable oils in selected deck hydraulic equipment.
• Upgrading shipboard oily water treatment systems to allow for a three stage processing arrangement resulting in an effluent oil content of significantly less than the allowable 15 ppm.
• Receiving the 2007 Chamber of Shipping of America Awards for Environmental Excellence for 13 vessels.