NORFOLK, Va., May 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern has awarded 58 chemical customers its 2018 Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award, a long-standing initiative to promote safe rail-shipping practices in communities the railroad serves.

During 2018, these award winners, including chemical manufacturers and plants, safely shipped more than 265,370 carloads of regulated hazardous material over Norfolk Southern's rail network. To qualify for the award, the customers shipped at least 1,000 carloads on Norfolk Southern and handled all shipments without a single incident. For the year, 55 corporations and three chemical plants achieved this safety record. Fourteen companies safely shipped more than 4,000 carloads each.

"We are proud to recognize these valued business partners for their industry-leading safety practices," said Ed Elkins, vice president industrial products. "At Norfolk Southern, serving our customers and working safely are core principles of our strategic plan, and we appreciate the shared commitment of the customers earning this safety award. Together, we work hard every day to demonstrate that rail is an efficient, reliable, and safe way to transport the nation's freight."

Norfolk Southern established the annual chemical award in 1995 to recognize customers who safely handle products that are vital to U.S. consumers and businesses but also are regulated as hazardous materials. In 2018, Norfolk Southern moved freight such as industrial chemicals, crude petroleum, ethanol, and fertilizers for these shippers.

As common carriers, Norfolk Southern and other U.S. railroads have obligations to provide transportation for companies that manufacture or use hazardous materials in their businesses. Typically, these products move in tank cars owned or leased by customers, who are responsible for maintaining the cars and ensuring that they are properly secured for transit.

Norfolk Southern works closely with customers across business lines to enhance the environmental, health, safety, and security performance of chemical transport by rail. As a voluntary participant in the American Chemistry Council's Responsible Care® Partner Program since 1996, Norfolk Southern observes strict standards to identify, reduce, and manage safety risks in chemical transport. Norfolk Southern received the council's 2018 Responsible Care Partner of the Year award in recognition of its exemplary performance and safety record during the previous year.

Norfolk Southern congratulates the following customers for earning the 2018 Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award:

Altivia Petrochemicals; American Zinc Recycling Corp.; The Andersons Inc.; Apex Oil; Archer Daniels Midland; ArcelorMittal USA; Ascend Performance Materials Inc.; Aux Sable Liquid Products Inc.;

Badger Ethanol; BP Products North America Inc.; Buckeye Partners LP; Cargill Inc.; CF Industries Sales LLC; The Chemours Company FC LLC; CHS; Covestro LLC; Crestwood Services; Didion Ethanol; The Dow Chemical Company;

Eastman Chemical Company; Elbow River Marketing Ltd.; ERCO Worldwide; ExxonMobil Chemical Company; Hunt Refining Co. Inc.; Imperial Oil; The International Group Inc.; Irving Oil; Kemira Chemicals Inc.; Kemira Water Solutions Inc.; Koch Industries;

Lima Refining Company; Louis Dreyfus Commodities; LSB Industries; Marathon Petroleum LP; Mark West, Evans City, Pa.; Marquis Energy LLC; Messer LLC; Methanex Corporation; NGL Energy Partners LP; Norfalco Sales, Glencore Canada Corporation; Nouryon; NOVA Chemicals Corporation; Nucor Corp.;

Olin Corporation; PBF Energy; PCS Sales (USA) Inc., Lee Creek, North Carolina, plant; PCS Sales (USA) Inc., West Occidental, Florida, plant; Phillips 66, Hartford, Illinois, plant; Plains Midstream Canada ULC; Poet Ethanol; Renewable Products Marketing;

Shell Chemical; Shintech Inc.; Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy LLC; Strauss Industries; United Refining Company; Valero Energy Corporation; and Westlake Chemical.

About Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 19,500 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern is a major transporter of industrial products, including chemicals, agriculture, and metals and construction materials. In addition, the railroad operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a principal carrier of coal, automobiles, and automotive parts.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation