Crowley Maritime News

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

Crowley Maritime Corporation has owned and operated a lot of vessels since its founding in 1892. But the latest vessel to join its fleet is unlike any other that has come before it.Crowley’s new harbor tug, eWolf, is unique in that it runs 100% powered by batteries, not diesel engines, meaning it produces zero emissions and nearly no noise. Not only is the vessel the first fully electric tug in the Crowley fleet, but it is also the first of its kind in the United States.Faced with stricter regulations and commercial pressure to prioritize environmental…

Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report “Beyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chains”, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, “During the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)…

This is the dawning of the age of AI and Big Data, huge agglomerations of new and transformative energy; almost self-generating, always strengthening and pulling at the reins, seeking to break free and run, a prospect both exciting and terrifying. That image can imply a human is holding the reins. How quaint: these days, AI itself may be holding the reins.In a review of innovation in 2023 – across any industrial or economic sector, not just maritime – AI looms large, a game-changer equivalent to IBM’s programming advances in the 1940s.

Kinder Morgan's shipping arm, American Petroleum Tankers, has been awarded a $28,548,000 charter contract option for one of its MR tankers, Empire State.The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced the deal earlier this week, stating the option is the third of the current contract, which includes a 12-month base period with three 12-month options and one 11-month option. If all options are exercised, work would run through July 23, 2025, and the cumulative value the deal would be $136,560,500. The 600-foot Empire State is being used in support of the U.S.

Offshore service vessels, along with workboats serving harbors and inland rivers, have embarked on an industry-wide voyage toward reduced emissions of greenhouse gasses. Professor Craig Philip, a faculty member with Vanderbilt University’s Center for Transportation and Operational Resilience (VECTOR) and former CEO of Ingram Barge Company, provides this context: “The Maritime Sector has long provided shippers with the most fuel-efficient and sustainable freight transport option…

2022 closed with significant developments to advance offshore wind (OSW) and the necessary, related work required at U.S. ports – on the east and west coasts and the Great Lakes. Some of these developments included:Funding – MARAD’s Port Improvement Development Project (PIDP) grants provided over $100 million for wind at four ports.Corporate leadership – Marine giants Foss and Crowley stepped up to lead development projects in California and Massachusetts.New industry focus – The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) started a program called POWERS – “Port Opportunities With Energy…

The global marine vessel market is projected to grow from $170.75 billion in 2021 to $188.57 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 1.43%, according to research from Fortune Business Insights.From transportation vessels to workboats to marine construction ships, companies want to grow their business, stay current with new technologies, gain a competitive edge and be good stewards of our environment.Current marine market trends include adoption of alternative fuels, acquiring new construction vessels, retrofitting existing fleet, and determining ideal solutions for procuring these vessels.

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced it has managed the first vessel acquisition under its contract to help recapitalize a sealift fleet with the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD).In 2021, Crowley was awarded a multi-year vessel acquisition and management (VAM) contract to help recapitalize MARAD's Ready Reserve Force (RRF). It is now spearheading the acquisition and conversion of two vehicle carriers from American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group in collaboration with Stena RoRo, Serco and LCE (Life Cycle Engineering).The first vessel to be acquired, Honor, will be followed by Freedom.

There’s no energy shortage when it comes to projects promoting the viability of alternatively fueled marine vessels (alt-fueled vessels).Consider just a few examples:Crowley Maritime Corp will take delivery in 2023 of an electric tugboat, dubbed eWolf, built by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala.The Hydrogen One towboat, using methanol-to-hydrogen technology, is being developed by its owner Maritime Partners.Master Boat Builders and Robert Allan Ltd. announced last fall the creation of a new battery hybrid, the ElectRA 3000-H, designed for U.S.

Alternatives to fossil fuels are emerging throughout the maritime universe, and vessels working in U.S. rivers, waterways and harbors are at the cusp on this trend. While the alternative fuels spectrum is wide, battery power and electrification—a technology that has seen a decade of shipboard applications already—is particularly suited for smaller vessels.Crowley Maritime Corp will be taking delivery of a completely electric tugboat, dubbed eWolf; the boat- which will include kit for advanced vessel control tied to an electric propulsion system from ABB…

Crowley Maritime Corporation on Thursday opened a new Rhode Island office for its New Energy division, to advance the development and operation of offshore wind energy installations.The new office, the opening of which was announced by Crowley and Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, is located at CIC Providence in the Innovation and Design District.Crowley's plan is to provide landside and marine logistics solutions during all phases of the offshore wind lifecycle to customers throughout the United States.

A public-private partnership will aim to establish Salem Harbor as the Massachusetts’ second major offshore wind port.Vineyard Wind, set to be the first ever commercial scale offshore wind farm in the U.S., will work with Crowley Maritime Corporation and the City of Salem for the project.The agreement, part of the “Commonwealth Wind” proposal, is contingent upon the company winning an award by the State of Massachusetts, which is currently evaluating offshore wind procurement bids.Earlier this month…

Among transportation planners, “resilience”, describing the ability to bounce back from adversities, both economic and other, has become a top consideration as we increasingly must “expect the unexpected.” The U.S. waterway system, covering the network of inland rivers and coastwise waterways, has seen a mix of good and not so good. As the 2020-2021 pandemic moves toward winding down, a recovery from the dismal 2020 is underway, but activity on the rivers is uneven. Ken Eriksen…

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced it has appointed Massimo Messina as vice president, mergers and acquisitions (M&A).Based in Jacksonville, Fla., Messina will lead Crowley’s corporate expansion goals by identifying and assessing potential M&A candidates and execute transactions that align with the global enterprise’s future growth projection and endeavors across all business units.“Massimo has the vision and experience needed to source and obtain target opportunities to integrate into our business model and help keep Crowley on the cutting edge as a leader of our industry…

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding said it will build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering barge for Crowley Maritime Corporation that, when completed, will be the largest of its kind in the U.S. Crowley said it has signed a long-term time charter with Shell to operate the new barge, and that the vessel is expected to be deployed to serve LNG-fueled ships that call on ports on the U.S. East Coast starting in 2024. It will be the second Jones Act-compliant bunker barge Shell has under…

Corvus Energy announced it has been selected by ABB Marine & Ports to supply the energy storage system for Crowley Maritime Corporation's all-electric tug eWolf—the first of its kind in the U.S.Crowley, which announced its plans to build and operate the innovative harbor tug in July, has tapped Master Boat Builders, Inc., in Alabama to build the vessel and ABB to deliver its integrated electric propulsion system and vessel control technology.The 82-foot-long vessel will be installed with 6.2 MWh of Corvus Orca Energy battery…

Crowley Maritime Corporation and Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) said Tuesday they'd create a first-of-its-kind training and workforce development program dedicated specifically to the New England region’s offshore wind energy industry.The program will be certified by the Global Wind Organisation (GWO), a non-profit that sets international standards for safety training. The academy will coordinate with Relyon Nutec, the world’s largest provider of specialized instruction for energy and industrial sectors…

ABB said Thursday it would deliver an integrated electric propulsion system and vessel control technology for Crowley’s pioneering eWolf tug, built for sustainable and safe operations at the Port of San Diego.Upon delivery by Alabama-based shipbuilder Master Boat Builders, Inc. (MBB) in mid-2023, Crowley Maritime Corporation’s new 82-foot (25-meter) vessel will support ship arrivals and departures at the Port of San Diego in California.It will be the first all-electric, battery…

Crowley Maritime Corporation on Monday announced plans to build and operate an all-electric powered harbor tugboat capable of completing a job without expending a drop of fuel—a first in the U.S.The 82-foot-long vessel, dubbed eWolf, will be operational at the Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal by mid-2023 and comes as Crowley and the maritime industry continue to make strides toward sustainability and decarbonization. Over the first 10 years of its use, the operation of the new e-tug will reduce 178 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx)…

Crowley Maritime Corporation has appointed John Claybrooks to the newly created position of chief marketing officer, leading the company’s strategic marketing and communications to enhance and differentiate the Crowley brand across its worldwide services.In this new role, Claybrooks leads all marketing and communications functions for the global enterprise, including the harmonization of integrated marketing and communications for all business units and geographies. His strategic…

Crowley Maritime has secured a multi-year, $638 million contract for Vessel Acquisition Management (VAM) by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD)."Crowley’s strategic acquisition and vessel management service will assist MARAD in the enhancement of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF), helping reduce the overall age of the fleet and increase ship reliability. The fleet executes U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) sealifts," Crowley Maritime said."To carry out the contract, Crowley will use a new…

Crowley Maritime Corp. has awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships to Mavry Sepulvado and Andrew Hubert of the Texas A&M University Maritime Academy. The recipients earned the scholarships based on their academic performance, cadet shipping experience and interest in pursuing a career at sea.Sepulvado, a senior from New Caney, Texas, is pursuing a degree in marine transportation. He is a first-generation college student and serves as treasurer for the Triathlon Club. Sepulvado served his sea term aboard the Crowley-managed tanker Golden State.