January 9, 2026
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Dear Crew, I’m nearing the completion of my first week with Hornblower Group, and I’m delighted to properly be part of “the Crew.” I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of you in New York City, Chicago, and Orlando, and to speak or connect by video with others. Next week, I look forward to visiting Boston and our shipyard in Bridgeport, Connecticut. What have I found so far? A strong passion and pride in our product, an entrepreneurial spirit, deep operational knowledge, stakeholder engagement, and a shared desire to improve. Thank you for welcoming me onboard. As I begin working with you, I thought it would be helpful to provide background on my experience. I am joining Hornblower after five very successful years leading The Port of Virginia as Chief Executive Officer. The Port of Virginia is a port authority, marine terminal operator, inland port operator, economic developer, and intermodal chassis operator. While in this role, I also served on the boards of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (the state’s development arm) and the TT Club Bermuda (a transportation mutual insurer). I also serve on the board of Southern Company Gas, one of the largest gas utilities in the United States. For Crew members in the U.K., I am a dual citizen of the U.K. and U.S. I grew up in Cardiff and graduated from Aston University with a degree in transport management. My early career was in shipping, with time spent in London, Singapore, Dubai, Rotterdam, and New Jersey. I transitioned to the port industry in 2005 and have since led three private equity–owned port (including cruise) and infrastructure companies based in New Jersey, Vancouver, and Los Angeles. Our shareholders, Strategic Value Partners and Crestview Partners, have a clear vision to build a much more valuable company. Achieving this will require us to operate more safely, grow significantly, increase efficiency, optimize our assets, and secure predictable cash flows. We also know that significant growth depends on service excellence, an area in which our company already demonstrates strong capability. Value creation will come from us, “the Crew.” I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can and working with you to help Hornblower be best in class and grow accordingly. With regards, Stephen Edwards CEO, Hornblower Group |