(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.; April 18, 2011) - Crowley Maritime Corporation's liner services group is adding 500 new containers to its already robust equipment fleet in order to better serve the growing needs of its customers in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and throughout Central America. Once received, the company's equipment fleet will include over 46,000 pieces. This recent acquisition represents growth of nearly 4 percent in the company's fleet of 45-foot (102" wide) containers and nearly 5 percent of the 40-foot high-cube container fleet.
Included in the acquisition are 250 new, 45-foot (102" wide) containers and 250 new 40-foot (96" wide) high-cube containers. While some of the 40-foot containers have been received and are in service, the 45-foot dry containers are slated for construction by the end of April. As the containers are received, they are being dispersed throughout Crowley's liner service areas based on customer needs.
"The acquisition of these containers is part of our continued commitment to maintain the best conditioned equipment in sizes that meet the needs of our customers," said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager of Latin America services. "The 45-foot containers are the container of choice for the apparel manufacturers, as it offers customers optimum loadability with the width allowing for larger pallets and cartons to be accommodated. We plan to continue offering state-of-the-art equipment for our customers when and where they need it, maximizing our ability to provide unprecedented speed-to-market services."
The new containers meet and exceed all new and amended ISO Standards for Freight Container Door security applications. Not only is all door hardware secured to the doors with special round-headed huckbolts, each of the four handle locations are designed to accept high-security seals with an additional seal location that will allow the right-side door to be locked to the door frame. The doors feature heavy-duty plates at the top and the bottom, with the bottom plate designed to accept an additional security device. New features this year are the addition of a heavy-duty plate on the inside of the left door and cast-door handles with anti-theft design features. The combination of these security enhancements and upgrades deters and prevents unauthorized access to containers and loaded cargo. Shipment integrity, from point of origin to delivery, is a premier requirement for customers and government anti-terrorism programs.
Since 2003, Crowley has invested close to $240 million dollars to modernize its equipment fleet by nearly 24,000 units.
Over the years, Crowley has converted most of its enclosed-equipment fleet to containers, which offer structural durability and safety for cargo and the flexibility to be accommodated in both Lift-On/Lift-Off (Lo/Lo) and Roll-On/Roll-Off (Ro/Ro) services when paired with a chassis.
Source: Crowley Maritime Corporation