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Rob Grune News

20 Feb 2020

Fitzgerald to Rejoin Crowley as COO

Ray Fitzgerald (Photo: Crowley)

Crowley Maritime Corp. announced today that Ray Fitzgerald, who began his career with Crowley and most recently served as president and chief operating officer of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions, and chairman of American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier (ARC), will rejoin the company March 1 as chief operating officer reporting to Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO. He will be based at the company’s headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.Fitzgerald will lead the team of Crowley’s four senior vice presidents and general managers: Rocky Smith…

20 Dec 2017

Crowley Shipping Announces Management Team

(Photos: Crowley)

Crowley Maritime Corp. appointed four industry veterans to oversee the consolidated lines of business under the recently formed Crowley Shipping group, which provides petroleum and chemical transportation, commercial ship management, offshore energy support and ship assist and tanker escort services in the U.S. and international markets. Crowley said the new business unit structure better aligns vessel operations and services with customers, positioning the company for greater growth and efficiency under Rob Grune, senior vice president and general manager.

06 Dec 2017

Crowley Restructures Business Units

(Photo: Crowley)

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced it has restructured its business units as the company aims to increase its focus on government-related business and better align vessel operations and fuel distribution services. Over the coming months, the 125-year-old company will transition its non-liner and logistics business units into three main service lines: Crowley Shipping, Crowley Fuels and Crowley Solutions. “This plan facilitates a pivot towards growing the company’s government portfolio of work…

14 Sep 2017

Crowley Shipping Fuel to Hurricane Stricken Locales

Photo: Crowley

Eighteen Jones Act petroleum vessels owned and/or operated by Crowley Maritime Corp. have been loaded to discharge gasoline and diesel into Florida ports in the coming few days. The mobilization responds to fuel shortages caused by the unprecedented evacuation of millions of Floridians ahead of Hurricane Irma. The vessels include Crowley’s MT Ohio and Florida, which were among the first tankers to bring fuel into the Port of Tampa on Tuesday along with MT West Virginia in Port Everglades. Fuel is being discharged to all of the major terminals in Florida – Jacksonville, Port Canaveral and Ft.

19 Aug 2016

Focus on Safety, Future Drive Operator Success

Barge No. 272, looking back towards M/V Donna J. Bouchard during the Christening Ceremony in New Orleans, LA, February, 2016. (Photo: Bouchard)

The hallmarks of a successful vessel operator are the same whether they are carrying liquid, physical or human cargo: A laser focus on safety, a twin commitment to customers and crew, and the vision to embrace and invest in the future. However obvious the bar, it is not easy to meet. “I don’t think there is any magic formula,” says Rob Grune, senior vice president and general manager, petroleum services, Crowley Marine Solutions. “The difference is that everything we work on regards providing a high quality of service to customers, pays off. In a rising market, it’s easy to do well.

12 Aug 2016

Fourth LNG-ready Product Tanker Delivered to Crowley

West Virginia (Photo: Crowley)

Crowley Maritime Corp. took delivery Friday of MT West Virginia, the fourth new Jones Act product tanker built for the company by Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI). Crowley will christen the West Virginia on Tuesday at a ceremony at Philly Shipyard. The LNG-ready West Virginia can be converted for propulsion by liquefied natural gas (LNG), joining sister ships Louisiana, Ohio and Texas, which were received by Crowley in 2015 and 2016 as the first-ever tankers to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) LNG-Ready Level 1 approval.

06 May 2016

Crowley Christens Third LNG-ready Product Tanker

Carrie Templin christens Crowley’s new product tanker Louisiana in New Orleans (Photo: Crowley)

Crowley Maritime Corporation christened the third of four new LNG-ready Jones Act product tankers at a May 5 ceremony at the Julia Street Cruise Terminal in New Orleans. The 600-foot-long, 50,000-dead-weight-ton (dwt), 330,000-barrel-capacity MT Louisiana is capable of carrying crude oil or refined petroleum products, as well as other chemical products for U.S. Coastwise trade. The new vessel joins Crowley sister ships, Ohio and Texas, to be the first tankers ever to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s LNG-Ready Level 1 approval…

15 Apr 2016

Third LNG-ready Tanker Delivered to Crowley

Photo: Crowley

Crowley Maritime Corp. has taken delivery of Louisiana, the third of four new, Jones Act product tankers being built for the company by Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI), the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA. The delivery marks another highpoint for Crowley’s petroleum services group as its tankers are at the forefront of the industry for their potential future conversion to LNG propulsion. Louisiana, which is 50,000 dead-weight-tons (dwt) and capable of carrying 330,000-barrels of product, is scheduled to be christened in New Orleans on May 5.

29 Dec 2015

The Top Five Ships of 2015

Top 5 Ships of 2015: Containership MSC Oscar (Photograph: Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.)

Maritime innovation never stops, and 2015 was certainly no exception, as a number of “world firsts” hit the high seas. In its December 2015 edition Maritime Reporter & Engineering News (http://digitalmagazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MaritimeReporter/201512/) presented its “Great Ships of 2015;” MarineLink.com takes the process one step further, and here confer the “Top Five Ships” of 2015. With a gross tonnage of 168,666, somewhat smaller than the world's largest Oasis class vessels, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

03 Nov 2015

ABS Deems Crowley Product Tankers 'LNG-Ready'

Ohio (Photo: Crowley Maritime Corp.)

By achieving compliance with the ABS Guide for LNG Fuel Ready Vessels, Crowley has the option to convert the product tankers to LNG propulsion at a later date having already been granted a conceptual review. “ABS has played a fundamental role in supporting the ambitions of the maritime industry as it moves to embrace the opportunity of LNG as fuel,” said ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. According to ABS, who published the Guide for LNG Fuel Ready Vessels in 2014…

01 Oct 2015

Crowley Acquires Jones Act Tankers

Crowley Maritime Corp. took delivery of Ohio, the first of four new, Jones Act, product tankers this week from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc. (APSI), the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Aker Philadelphia Shipyard ASA. The delivery is momentous not only for Crowley, but also for the industry because it signifies the first time a product tanker has been constructed with consideration for the future use of LNG for propulsion. The remaining three product tankers being built by APSI for Crowley are currently under construction and have planned deliveries through 2016. “We are excited to offer our customers cutting-edge technology available in these new tankers…

22 May 2015

MPC Honors Crowley for Tank Vessel Safety

Photo: Crowley

Crowley Maritime Corporation’s petroleum services division has once again been honored by Marathon Petroleum Company (MPC) with its annual Elite Vessel Award, which is given to tank vessel operators who demonstrate commitment to safety, environmental stewardship and operational excellence. To earn the recognition, the five Crowley ATBs chartered by MPC – including the Courage/650-5; Achievement/650-8;Legacy/750-1; Legend/750-2; and Liberty/750-3 – had to meet a series of standards…

17 Feb 2015

GBSL to Drydock 23 Crowley Vessels

Photo: Grand Bahama Shipyard Limited

One of the largest exclusive ship repair fleet agreements in Caribbean history, worth more than $10 million, signed between GBSL and Crowley which will extend to mid – 2017. Grand Bahama Shipyard Limited (GBSL), the ship repair and refurbishment yard in Freeport Grand Bahama, Bahamas has signed a ship repair fleet agreement with Crowley Maritime Corporation for a maintenance program for 23 vessels over the next 12 months. The agreement, worth more than $10 million, will see GBSL dock and upgrade these vessels exclusively at the shipyard.

24 Sep 2014

Keel Laid for Crowley Jones Act Tanker

Photo: Crowley

The first of four Crowley Maritime Corp. product tankers was celebrated today in a keel laying ceremony held at Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc. (APSI), the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Aker Philadelphia Shipyard ASA. The 330,000-barrel, Jones Act tankers are being built through a joint venture between Crowley and Aker. Keeping with the long-held shipbuilding tradition, several coins were placed by representatives from Crowley, APSI and others on one of the keel blocks before the unit was lowered into place in the dry dock. The coins are a ceremonial sign of good fortune and safe travels.

07 Jul 2014

Demand for Coastal and Transoceanic ATBs Grows

Along the way, ATBs gain speed, efficiency, safety – and popularity. Operators of articulated tugs and barges, or ATBs, say they like the maneuverability, weather reliability, stability, speed of these units, and the manner in which the tug pushes the barge. As a marine transportation concept, they can also simply be described as versatile. ATBs move petroleum, chemicals, coal, grain, containerized cargo and rail cars for customers on the U.S. coasts, rivers, the Great Lakes and overseas. As a result, demand for articulated units expanded in the last two decades with new technology.

03 Oct 2013

Crowley Vessel Performs Second At-Sea Rescue in Less than a Year

Photo: Crowley

The crew aboard Crowley Maritime Corporation’s articulated tug-barge (ATB) Achievement/650-8 has performed its second rescue in nine months, this time saving the lives of four individuals aboard a 30-foot fishing boat taking on water 35 miles offshore from Clearwater, Fla., during a strong storm. On the evening of September 15, the Achievement/650-8 was instructed to stand by and not proceed inbound to Tampa Bay due to a strong squall moving through the area, which brought torrential rains, 50-knot winds and heavy seas.

08 May 2013

Crowley Enters LNG Market

Thomas B. Crowley, Jr., Crowley CEO, COO, COB, President (Photo: Crowley)

Crowley Maritime Corporation's petroleum services group is entering the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) market by acquiring Carib Energy LLC. Florida-based Carib Energy, founded in 2011, was the first company to receive a small scale, 25-year, LNG export license from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for LNG transportation from the U.S. into Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries. While Crowley’s overall strategic focus on the LNG market will span several of its diversified business lines and leverage its storied history and success in the marine…

15 Jan 2013

Crowley’s ATB Crew Rescues Man from Tampa Bay

left to right: Alan Williams, AB; Doug Carson, third mate; Pat McGee, cook; Ron Robinson, chief mate; Chris Farmer, AB/tankerman; Vince Mull, chief engineer; Travis Stringer, AB/tankerman, and  Gus Cramer, captain.

The crew aboard Crowley Maritime Corporation’s articulated tug-barge (ATB) Achievement/650-8 recently performed a heroic rescue of an injured man who was struggling to stay afloat near the base of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay, Fla. The on-watch crew noticed a man bobbing in the water on the port side of the vessel around the same time that emergency radio calls from the St. Petersburg Coast Guard were issued. Crowley’s Allen Williams, AB, responded by immediately throwing the stranded man a life ring and Captain Gus Cramer sounded the man overboard alarm.

21 Aug 2012

Crowley Maritime Re-enters Jones Act Tankship Market

'Veteran-class Tankship: Photo credit Crowley

Crowley Maritime purchases two new 'Jones Act' tankers from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard. Crowley Maritime Corporation’s petroleum and chemical transportation group announce that it has purchased two new Jones Act tankers, the Pennsylvania and the Florida , from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard ASA. The tankers, scheduled for delivery in September 2012 and March 2013, mark Crowley’s re-entry into the Jones Act tanker market since its last tanker was retired in 2011. The tankers will be capable of carrying nearly 330,000 barrels of a wide variety of petroleum products and chemicals.

28 Sep 2012

Crowley Christens Articulated Tug-Barge

'Legend Christening': Photo credit Crowley

Crowley Maritime Corporation christen the 16,000-horsepower tugboat 'Legend' and 330,000-barrel tank barge 750-2 in Tampa, Florida. Together the vessels comprise the company’s newest articulated-tug-barge  (ATB) and will be used to transport petroleum products between the U.S. Gulf and East Coasts, making regular port calls in Tampa where Crowley currently discharges nearly 163 million gallons of product each month. The Legend/750-2 is the second of three petroleum tank vessels in its class in terms of size…

23 Oct 2012

Crowley Announces Leadership Changes

Steve Demeroutis

Crowley Maritime Corporation has announced  that Steve Demeroutis will now assume the role of vice president, marine operations, for the company’s petroleum and chemical transportation group. Rudy Leming will assume Demeroutis’ former position of vice president, labor relations. In their new positions, both employees will remain domiciled in Jacksonville, Fla., Demeroutis will report to Crowley’s Rob Grune, senior vice president and general manager, petroleum services, while Leming now reports to Bill Pennella, vice chairman and executive vice president.

01 Nov 2012

Newly Christened ATB Marks Milestone

The crew of the Legend/750-2 and Crowley friends and employees.

Crowley Maritime Corporation recently welcomed a new addition to its American-made and operated  fleet of petroleum tank vessels, the 750-class articulated tug-barge (ATB) Legend/750-2. The milestone came exactly five years after Crowley first announced plans to build the 750-class, which is considered one of largest, fastest and safest in the industry. The latest vessel is the second of three in the class, and will transport petroleum products – including gasoline – along the U.S. West, Gulf and East Coasts.

02 Jan 2013

Matt Yacavone Joins Crowley

Matt Yacavone: Photo credit Crowley

Matt Yacavone joins Crowley as Vice President of Sales and Chartering, Petroleum Services. He will be domiciled in the company's Jacksonville headquarters and report to Rob Grune, senior vice president and general manager, petroleum services. Yacavone, who assumes his new position Jan. 7, will be responsible for the planning and direction of sales and chartering initiatives, overseeing development of policies and procedures, coordinating and negotiating customer contracts and developing business relations, particularly in the company's articulated-tug barge (ATB) and tanker programs.