Pasha Hawaii to Support Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Efforts
Honolulu, HI-based Pasha Hawaii has announced that it will be providing the U.S. Jones Act vessel Horizon Spirit to ship hundreds of containers from the West Coast in support of hurricane relief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico. The Horizon Spirit serves as a drydock reserve ship in Pasha Hawaii’s container service between the mainland and Hawaii.
Pasha Hawaii is partnering with family-owned Lipsey Mountain Spring Water, the nation’s largest governmental bottled water supplier for disaster relief, to bring approximately 800 containers filled with over 15 million bottles of water aboard the Horizon Spirit to assist in humanitarian relief for the people of Puerto Rico. The Horizon Spirit will load the bottled water at the Port of Los Angeles and traverse the Panama Canal en route to Puerto Rico; the vessel will be made available in the Puerto Rico service thereafter.
“My company has hired every ship possible to transport our water to save lives and mitigate suffering in Puerto Rico during the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Lipsey Water and Lipsey Logistics Worldwide are very pleased with our new alliance with Pasha Hawaii,” said Joe Lipsey, III, CEO, Lipsey Mountain Spring Water. “Their forward thinking in taking one of their reserve Hawaii ships and moving it from San Francisco to Long Beach, and then through the Panama Canal with its San Juan destination by end of this month is fantastic. This ship being incredibly fast is of great benefit to the citizens of the U.S. in Puerto Rico.”
“Our new partnership between Lipsey and Pasha Hawaii will also be beneficial to Lipsey’s contract with FEMA,” added Lipsey. “Lipsey is FEMA’s prime contractor of bottled water and its transportation for the next five years serving Hawaii, Alaska, the CONUS 48 states, and all territories including Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lipsey Water has proudly served our great nation as its largest provider of bottled water during Presidentially Declared Disasters since 1994.”
“Our hearts go out to the people of Puerto Rico as they rebuild their homes and communities, and address basic needs,” said George Pasha, IV, President and CEO, Pasha Hawaii. “We are thankful to be of direct help to these families and businesses, especially as many of our folks who joined us from Horizon Lines, Inc. have family, friends, and colleagues on the island. We’ve supported hurricane relief efforts via an employee giving campaign with the American Red Cross, and are glad we can offer the service of our containership.”