SINGAPORE, Dec. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mariana Express Lines Limited (MELL), a regional ocean container carrier offering service between islands in the Pacific Ocean and Asia and Australia, today announced it will launch a U.S. West Coast service to select Micronesia locations commencing on December 15th. The carrier's new Micronesia Express service will offer weekly departures from Los Angeles, Oakland and Tacoma to the Pacific islands of Majuro, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, Palau and Saipan.

Horizon Lines, LLC, will serve as dedicated shipping agent for the container service, providing U.S. sales, vessel connections and logistics support.  MELL containers will be carried by Horizon Lines vessels between U.S. West Coast ports and Honolulu, where they will be transferred onto MELL vessels for pacific island connections. This new Micronesia Express represents a first ever direct Hawaii port call for MELL ships.

"There is ongoing demand from U.S. shippers for service to these Pacific islands and by partnering with Horizon Lines we can fill the niche to meet this demand with reliable deliveries and a regular schedule," said Mr. Tong Hui Aw, President of MELL. Mr. Aw added, "Mariana Express is proud to work with Horizon Lines, a company committed to service excellence. Their philosophy is a perfect fit as we look forward to further growing and developing our Pacific service offerings for the U.S. market."

MELL's Micronesia Express service will offer Los Angeles to Majuro transit times of 14 days, as an example. Shippers with time sensitive commodities, including groceries and retail goods, will enjoy excellent transit times. 

"Mariana Express Lines has a solid reputation in the Asia Pacific region, which we will support as we raise visibility of the carrier's service in the U.S. marketplace," said Mr. Ali Nikkhoo, Vice President & General Manager, Hawaii, for Horizon Lines. "We are excited to help MELL enhance their Micronesia service capabilities for U.S. shippers."

U.S. customer service for Mariana Express Lines is available at 877-525-6449, operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Honolulu time.

About Mariana Express Lines
Founded in 1997, Mariana Express Lines ("MELL") is a container liner operator headquartered in Singapore.  Focusing on niche routes in the Asia-Pacific region, MELL provides shippers and consignees liner services with regular sailing schedules and quick transit times.  The company started with just two vessels, and has expanded its network extensively in recent years.  Using Hong Kong and Kaoshiung as hubs, MELL currently carries containers between the U.S., China, Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia and islands in the Pacific. MELL has dedicated shipping agencies in key ports of call to support vessel operations and to provide ancillary logistics support. For more information, visit www.mariana-express.com.

About Horizon Lines
Horizon Lines, Inc. is one of the nation's leading domestic ocean shipping companies and the only ocean cargo carrier serving all three noncontiguous domestic markets of Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico from the continental United States.  The company maintains a fleet of 15 fully Jones Act qualified vessels and operates five port terminals in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.  A trusted partner for many of the nation's leading retailers, manufacturers and U.S. government agencies, Horizon Lines provides reliable transportation services that leverage its unique combination of ocean transportation and inland distribution capabilities to deliver goods that are vital to the prosperity of the markets it serves. The company is based in Charlotte, NC, and its stock trades on the over-the-counter market under the symbol HRZL.

SOURCE Horizon Lines, Inc.; Mariana Express Lines