honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, April 24, 2010

Horizon Lines posts $13.2M loss


By Alan Yonan Jr.
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Horizon Lines' shipping service involving Hawai'i and Guam has "improved nicely," said CEO Chuck Raymond. The company posted a larger-than-expected first-quarter loss.

ADVERTISER LIBRARY PHOTO | Oct. 11, 2004

spacer spacer

Shipping operator Horizon Lines Inc. posted a wider-than-expected first-quarter loss as fuel and labor costs rose and container volumes fell on all routes other than its Hawai'i/Guam service.

Horizon, the second largest shipper serving Hawai'i, lost $13.2 million, or 43 cents per share, compared with a loss of $10 million, or 33 cents per share, a year earlier, the company reported yesterday.

"During the quarter, we faced ongoing rate pressures, high fuel costs and increased contractual labor expenses relative to last year, and we expect these to continue," said Chuck Raymond, Horizon's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

Excluding charges for legal expenses and severance costs, Horizon said its adjusted loss was 39 cents per share. Analysts on average expected an adjusted loss of 25 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters. Revenue rose 5 percent to $286.1 million.

Horizon said container volumes fell by 1.9 percent from the same quarter a year earlier due primarily to weak market conditions in Puerto Rico and Alaska. Meanwhile, Horizon registered a modest volume increase on its Hawai'i/Guam route.

"Our business in Hawai'i is reflecting a modest economic recovery and Alaska is stabilizing," Raymond said. "Hawai'i and Guam have improved nicely. They're up a couple of percentage points in March and we're seeing the same in April."

Horizon's shares fell 56 cents to close at $5.53 yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange.