To better meet the needs of customers shipping to Haiti from the Dominican Republic and South Florida, Crowley Maritime Corp. has enhanced its
liner container shipping services by renewing its second fixed-day sailing to Port-au-Prince from Rio Haina and Port Everglades starting this week.
After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Crowley reduced its twice-weekly service to Haiti to a single port call on Mondays due to infrastructure damage and resulting deterioration in the port's service capabilities. Now that the infrastructure has been repaired and those capabilities have been restored, customers once again will have the valuable option of having cargo delivered to Haiti from the Dominican Republic or South Florida on Fridays in addition to Mondays - an advantage that allows shipments to arrive in stores when they are most needed.
The reestablishment of this sailing also makes Crowley the only carrier with twice-a-week shipments directly from the Dominican Republic to Haiti. This advantage will benefit the many Dominican Republic businesses that deliver products to support Haiti's growing market and reconstruction efforts by providing a safe and reliable alternative to trucking products across the countries' borders.
The additional sailing to Haiti is aptly timed with the start of the country's annual mango season. Last year, Crowley shipped nearly 400 loads of mangoes during the peak season.
"Though the country still has a long way to go in terms of recovery since the earthquake, business is improving," said Otero. "Mango growers are predicting another successful season and shipments from the Dominican Republic are on the rise. Haiti continues to be a key market for Crowley."
With two Lift-on/Lift-off (Lo/Lo) container ships and a broad range of
quality equipment, Crowley is equipped to meet the various needs of these diverse markets.
The new schedule calls for a vessel to depart Port Everglades for arrival in the Dominican Republic. From the Dominican Republic, the vessel will arrive in Haiti, and the final stop is in Port Everglades, where the rotation begins again.