1973-1982

(click photo to enlarge)

• In 1973, the Company continued its support of the oil industry in Alaska as Crowley hauled more of the pipe for the 800-mile pipeline than any other company
• By the 1976 sealift, an ice-breaking barge propelled by two 9,000-h.p. tugs, had been built to break a path through offshore ice
• Crowley Maritime Corporation was formed in 1975
• Also in 1975, Crowley acquired a fleet of all-weather, all-terrain Rolligons, which are vehicles that use large low-pressure rubber air bags to traverse unpacked snow, summer tundra, sand or marshland initiating the birth of CATCO
• In 1977, Aleyska selected Crowley to provide vessel assist and escort services at Valdez for tankers loading crude oil for transport to the mainland states
• Four Point-class tugs and a 205x90-foot icebreaker barge were added to the fleet specifically to perform shallow-water services in Prudhoe Bay
• Between 1974 and 1977, 25 Invader-class tugs and nine 450-series petroleum barges were built for the Company
• In 1974, Jacksonville, Florida was added as a mainland port of call for cargo bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico
• In 1978, the Company developed the worlds largest roll-on/roll-off barges for the mainland/Puerto Rico service 
• In 1980, New terminals were constructed to handle the new triple-deck barges including those in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Pettys Island near Philadelphia 
• By the end of the 1970s Crowley had become the largest RO/RO carrier in the Caribbean trade operating out of the US Southeast and Gulf 
• In 1975, personnel was dedicated to salvage and emergency response including oil spill cleanup, dock and vessel booming, design and installation of protective facilities, contingency planning and consulting 
• Crowley pioneered many load/offload techniques for handling drilling rigs, dredge fleets, huge pressure vessels, processing plants, heavy-lift modules and other large and unwieldy cargoes.