Petroleum Distribution News

Press Release: Crowley Marine Services will not be providing oil spill prevention and response services in Valdez and Prince William Sound when its contract expires June 30, 2018. Crowley has provided marine services in Prince William Sound since 1990. Despite bidding aggressively for the SERVS contract extension, Crowley was not chosen by Alyeska to retain the entire scope of the current contract. Crowley is fully committed to continued professional service and full compliance as the marine service provider until the end of June 2018, and will be engaged in any transition process.

Crowley Maritime Corporation’s tanker escort and docking services group in Valdez is celebrating over seven million man hours and more than six years since logging its last Lost Time Injury (LTI). In addition to this remarkable number, the company announced that it had not had an OSHA recordable case in over two million man hours while performing tanker assist and escort work for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. In 2015, the company logged over one million man hours while safely escorting 236 tankers through Prince William Sound…

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced today that company veteran Craig Tornga has assumed the role of vice president of stakeholder relations for Alaska, and will coordinate with all of Crowley's Alaska business units to leverage relevant company relationships. Tornga will relocate from Houston to Anchorage, and continue to report to Rocky Smith, senior vice president and general manager, petroleum distribution and marine services. “Crowley has been serving Alaska for more than 60 years and we are deeply rooted in the state,” said Smith. “Craig is the ideal person to help us continue to build partnerships with government, regulatory agencies, native Alaska corporations, trade associations, citizen advisory boards and more.

Crowley Maritime Corp. ’s petroleum distribution group has been granted approval by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Board – Canada (NEB) to import Canadian-sourced liquefied natural gas (LNG) for supply, transportation and distribution throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The renewable, two-year import and export licenses now allow the company to import up to 2.12 billion cubic feet (BCF) of LNG via truck in 10,700-gallon ISO tanks or in bulk via oceangoing vessels, Crowley said.

A subsidiary of Saltchuk Resources, a transportation and petroleum distribution company, has entered into a binding purchase and sale agreement to acquire Tropical Shipping and its related companies. The acquisition includes the premier shipping and logistics company for the Bahamas and Caribbean, Tropical Shipping and all of its related transportation, consolidation and cargo insurance companies. As an international foreign flagged shipping and logistics operation, Tropical and its related companies will become Saltchuk’s sixth line of business.

A subsidiary of Saltchuk Resources, one of the nation’s leading transportation and petroleum distribution companies, has entered into a binding purchase & sale agreement to acquire Tropical Shipping and its related companies. The acquisition includes the premier shipping and logistics company for the Bahamas and Caribbean, Tropical Shipping and all of its related transportation, consolidation and cargo insurance companies. As an international foreign flagged shipping and logistics operation, Tropical and its related companies will become Saltchuk’s sixth line of business. Tropical will continue to operate as a standalone operation. The addition of Tropical Shipping to the Saltchuk family of companies furthers the company’s commitment to the Caribbean market.

Crowley Maritime Corporation’s petroleum distribution group in Alaska says it has been recognized by Shell Oil Products US as the 2013 Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) wholesaler of the year. As Shell’s sole wholesale distributor in Alaska, Crowley faces unique challenges including remote locations, harsh environments, a diverse product and customer base, limited supply options and large fluctuations in seasonal demand. The company currently services 17 Shell-branded retail stations, three of which are owned and operated by Crowley.

Crowley inform that Scott Hoggarth has been promoted to vice president, West Coast harbor ship assist and tanker escort services. He has assumed new overall responsibilities for marine operations and engineering functions, as well as commercial results for Crowley’s tug services offered in major U.S. West Coast ports. Hoggarth has assumed new overall responsibilities for marine operations and engineering functions, as well as commercial results for Crowley’s tug services offered in major U.S. West Coast ports.

Crowley Maritime Corporation recently awarded four Thomas B. Crowley, Sr., Memorial Scholarships to University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) students Alexandra Bateman, Gabrielle Bragg, Diloola Erickson and Kimberly Greenway. These students were chosen for their outstanding academic records and having met other scholarship criteria. They each received $2,500 toward tuition. Preferences for Crowley-funded UAF scholarships are given to Alaska natives from Crowley-served communities throughout the state…

Crowley’s petroleum distribution group (CPD Alaska LLC) completes its acquisition of Anderes Oil , a longtime, well-respected fuel company in Ketchikan, Alaska. The Anderes family, after 50 years of serving Ketchikan, is leaving the oil business to pursue other interests. Anderes Oil, Inc. is a commercial business complex located shoreside near downtown Ketchikan. It includes a bulk plant storing over a million gallons of petroleum products and has miles of pipeline to deliver the products. The company also has a marina with a fixed 110-foot-long float outfitted to conveniently supply a variety of marine fuels to southeast Alaska's mariner's. Twenty fuel stations, capable of pumping up to 200 gallons a minute allow Anderes to serve different size boats quickly and efficiently.

Carlile Transportation Systems, one of the largest trucking and logistics companies in Alaska, has been acquired by Saltchuk Resources, a Seattle-based family of diversified transportation and petroleum distribution companies. “Our relationship with Saltchuk is 20 years long, already having been friends, vendors and customers," said Harry McDonald, Carlile CEO and cofounder. Carlile will remain a standalone company headquartered in Anchorage. “As with all of the Saltchuk companies, we will reinvest in Carlile’s assets, pursue growth opportunities and build on the very strong foundation the McDonald family has built for the future,” said Mark Tabbutt, of Saltchuk. Carlile’s 700 employees will join Saltchuk’s national team of 5,500 persons.

Bowhead Transport Company, LLC, and Crowley Marine Services, Inc., announced the formation of a joint venture to provide marine services in Alaska’s Arctic. The new Alaska-based joint venture will operate under the name UIC Bowhead-Crowley, LLC. Bowhead Transport is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC), the Alaska Native Village Corporation of Barrow, Alaska. Both companies have longstanding histories of providing services in the Arctic with Bowhead Transport Company providing common carriage service for 30 years to the coastal communities of Alaska and Crowley providing marine transportation, energy support and petroleum distribution services for over 60 years throughout the state.

Company announces offering of $650 million senior secured term loan. Commercial Barge Line Company  announced results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2012. For the year, the Company reported total revenues of $811.6 million and Adjusted EBITDAR of $232.1 million. Compared to 2011 results, revenues declined $41.4 million, or 4.9%, while Adjusted EBITDAR improved by $57.8 million, or 33.2%. For the quarter, total revenues were $207.9 million compared to $244.5 million in 2011 and Adjusted EBITDAR was $62.8 million compared to $60.3 million in 2011. Commenting on the results, Mark Knoy, President and Chief Executive Officer…

The crew aboard Crowley Maritime Corporation’s tugboat Guard recently performed a heroic rescue of a man who was struggling to stay afloat in the waters outside of San Francisco Bay. The rescue took place during the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 31, while the tugboat was standing by outside the Golden Gate Bridge, waiting to escort a tanker into San Francisco Bay’s anchorage. Crowley’s Perry Overton, captain of the Guard, noticed the man treading water a little more than a mile and a half from the bridge.

Captain Alex Sweeney joins Crowley’s Solutions Group as Vice President, Project Operations. Sweeney, who most recently served as vice president of operations for Crowley’s petroleum distribution group in Alaska, will remain in Anchorage and report to Michael Johnson, vice president, project management. In his new role, Sweeney will be responsible for the planning, coordination and management of select solutions projects. He will also assist the solutions business development team in pursuing project opportunities.

Crowley's Ocean Rangers Have Protected Alaska's Environment Since 2008. The State of Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) has announced that it has awarded a contract to Crowley Maritime Corporation to continue administering the State of Alaska's Ocean Ranger Program, effective November 2011. The contract directs Crowley to recruit, hire, train and organize the logistics of placing Ocean Rangers on board cruise ships each season to act as independent observers and to assure compliance with federal and state environmental health, sanitation and safety requirements.

Crowley Maritime Corp. is deploying two new double-hulled, combination deck cargo and tank barges this week in Western Alaska. The DBL 165-1 and DBL 165-2 barges left Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Wash., earlier this month and made a brief stop in Seward for final outfitting of equipment - including hoses, lines, pumps and other gear - necessary for operating in Western Alaska. The barges are expected to load their first cargoes of petroleum products in Bristol Bay this week and will begin making deliveries to customers along the Bering Sea coast soon afterward. Both vessels will be home ported in Nome and will be used for shallow draft operations and beach landings for the delivery of fuel and cargo to the remote communities of Western Alaska.

Preparing to take environmental protection of Western Alaska waters to a whole new level, Crowley Maritime Corporation christened two new double-hulled petroleum tank barges, the 165-1 and 165-2, May 7 during a small ceremony at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Wash. The vessels, which are the first double-hulled, environmentally friendly barges of their kind to operate in Western Alaska waters, will join Crowley's 180-1, a double-hull barge that has serviced Alaska since 2005.

In 2009, the Military Sealift Command offshore petroleum distribution system ship MV Vice Adm. K.R. Wheeler (foreground) and Military Sealift Command tanker USNS Lawrence H. Gianella (background) practice running a float hose between the two ships during a one-day exercise off the coast of Yeosu, South Korea. (U.S. Navy photo by Edward Baxter, taken off Yeosu, South Korea on Aug. Military Sealift Command offshore petroleum distribution system ship MV Vice Adm. K.R. Wheeler participated in a combined, joint military exercise off the coast of Anmyeon, Republic of Korea on March 23.

Crowley announced the promotion of Eric Evans and Tony Otero each to the role of vice president, finance & planning, supporting several different business groups. In his new position Eric Evans will support Crowley's technical services, petroleum services, Alaska petroleum distribution and marine contract services business groups. His responsibilities include accounting, contract administration, budgeting, forecasting, analysis, and strategic planning for these business units, which encompass more than $1b in annual revenues and locations on five continents.

The crew of Military Sealift Command (MSC) offshore petroleum distribution system ship MV Vice Adm. K.R. Wheeler trained recently to do something that no other ship in the world can do: pump fuel to shore from a tanker as far as eight miles out to sea. The training took place June 21-26 off the coast of Pohang, Republic of Korea, and gave the ship's crew, operators and shoreside support personnel an opportunity to practice the first and final phases of a complex evolution that allows the unique…

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced that it has restructured its petroleum distribution and contract services group, consolidating all Alaska operations under Craig Tornga, vice president. Tornga, who will remain in Anchorage and will continue reporting to Rocky Smith, senior vice president and general manager, will continue to manage Alaska's petroleum distribution and fuel sales but will now also manage tanker assist and escort services in Valdez and Prince William Sound, Alaska, and energy support services on Alaska's North Slope.

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced a restructuring involving three members of its senior leadership team. John Douglass and Rob Grune will move to new positions, with Douglass taking over as senior vice president and general manager of Crowley's Puerto Rico/Caribbean liner services, and Grune taking over as senior vice president and general manager of Crowley's petroleum transportation group. Both executives will remain domiciled in Jacksonville and continue to report to Tom Crowley, chairman, president and CEO.