Crowley Maritime Corporation announced the continued expansion of the company’s logistics offerings in the Caribbean with the addition of freight forwarding, consolidation and Customs brokerage services in Tortola and Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands (BVI). In conjunction with these new capabilities, Crowley now also offers customers less-than-containerload (LCL) shipping and air freight services between Miami; San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Road Town, Tortola.
“We strive to continually improve our services for customers – in this case those who are shipping to and from the Caribbean,” said Carlos Rice, vice president of operations, Crowley logistics . “Adding logistics options in the BVI widens our capabilities in the Caribbean as a whole while providing additional trade lanes to customers.”
Crowley offers two separate sailings for LCL cargo to Tortola, giving customers greater options and flexibility. The first sailing has a vessel departing Miami on Thursdays for a Monday arrival in Road Town, which allows shipments to be delivered to stores at the start of each week. The second sailing is every other week from San Juan, departing on Fridays for Tuesday arrivals in Road Town.
Additionally, Crowley offers northbound sailings for all types of cargo to islands in the Caribbean, including Tortola, via direct port calls in St. Maarten and Port Everglades, Fla.
The company also provides trucking and distribution services in San Juan and Miami, and offers pick-ups and deliveries in Tortola.
The new BVI logistics capabilities are made possible through a partnership with the Romasco Group, a logistics provider based in Road Town with 45 years of experience in BVI. Crowley will coordinate these services from the company’s offices in San Juan and Miami.
This expansion of service is the latest in a series by Crowley designed to provide customers with more transportation and logistics solutions in the Caribbean and the ease and convenience of dealing with a single-service provider. In June of this year, Crowley acquired Rico Freight Systems (PRFS), a Guaynabo, Puerto Rico-based logistics company specializing in freight consolidation and less than container load (LCL) transportation throughout the Caribbean. In January 2011, Crowley acquired Jarvis Freight International, Inc., a Houston-based freight forwarding, export packing and logistics company primarily serving the energy, oilfield and mining industries in the U.S. as well as in Trinidad. And in September 2010, Crowley acquired Islandwide Air and Ocean to offer customers ocean and air transportation, trucking, transportation management and warehouse services in Puerto Rico.
Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc ., a holding company of the 119-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family and employee-owned company. The company provides project solutions, transportation and logistics services in domestic and international markets by means of six operating lines of business: Puerto Rico/Caribbean Liner Services, Latin America Liner Services, Logistics Services, Petroleum Services, Marine Services and Technical Services. Offered within these operating lines of business are: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response through its TITAN Salvage subsidiary; vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture through its Jensen Maritime subsidiary; government services, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales.
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Source: Crowley, September 21, 2011.