Customer Success

Set to become an interactive naval museum, the retired USS Iowa, which was a fully operational battleship through World War II, the Korean War and the 1980s, required relocation from San Francisco to its new home in the Port of Los Angeles. The ship’s custodian, the Pacific Battleship Center, engaged Crowley for the job (a video of the project can be viewed here). The decision was natural: Crowley had already towed the USS Iowa from Rhode Island through the Panama Canal to Suisun Bay (near San Francisco), as well as sister retired battleships, the New Jersey and Missouri, which were also converted to museums. Crowley utilized four tugboats to safely guide the battleship under the Golden Gate Bridge and out of San Francisco Bay – during the historic bridge’s 75th anniversary weekend while hundreds of spectators watched – and southward to Los Angeles, despite several challenges. The Challenge The challenges of moving …

Two of Crowley’s high-deck strength barges, 455-3 and Marty J, towed by tugs Warrior and Commander, transported processing and utility modules, and other smaller structural components more than 8,000 miles from Gulf Island Fabricators in Houma, Louisiana, to Point Oliktok in Kuparuk, Alaska.  The modules and components, each weighing nearly 4,000 tons, will support Eni’s development of the Nikaitchuq oil field. The oil recovered from the field will be the first from the North Slope not processed by facilities owned by BP or Conoco Philips. The Challenge The Crowley team needed to move 8,000 tons of cargo more than 8,000 miles on high-deck-strength barges, transiting the Panama Canal and navigating Alaska’s polar-ice pack (large areas of frozen seawater that break apart and retreat from the shoreline typically during six to eight weeks during the summer). The ice-clogged Beaufort Sea on the way to Point Oliktok, which is notorious for adverse weather conditions, including …

During the late summer and early fall, Crowley’s Carlos Rice keeps one eye glued to the TV and the other on the phone. With hurricane season usually in full swing, he and his team are frequently called on to collaborate with USAID to assemble and often deliver life-saving supplies to islands throughout the Caribbean, usually with only a few hours advance notice. In August of 2007, when Hurricane Dean battered Jamaica with 150 mph winds that left a swath of destruction, we were ready to answer the call. The Challenge Delivering tens of thousands of relief supplies by air is never an easy task, especially when the primary airport has been left without power, making nighttime landings an impossibility. But that was only one challenge. Upon receiving the call during the late afternoon, the team had to go through our 180,000-square-foot warehouse — 30,000 of which are dedicated …

Described as the largest, most technically demanding wreck removal operation ever attempted on a ship of its size, the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner was successfully removed from the Italian shoreline in July 2014. After the wreck, vessel owners, alongside others on a review board, began evaluating proposed salvage plans from more than 10 of the most experienced wreck removal and maritime salvage companies from around the world. After an exhaustive search, they selected Italian offshore service provider Micoperi and Crowley Maritime’s internationally-based TITAN Salvage. TITAN Salvage and Micoperi began the process of refloating the Costa Concordia, which was safely moored at the Port of Genoa Voltri, Italy, marking the completion of the largest maritime salvage jobs in history. For the full story, please view the publication Raising The Costa Concordia. The Challenge Now considered the largest passenger shipwreck by tonnage in history, the Costa Concordia smashed into the rocky coastline where it …

Crowley safely completed the transport of oversized modules and support accessories from Houston, Texas, to the Cabinda Gas Plant, a destination located nearly three miles inland in the Cabinda Province of Angola, West Africa. The sealift’s four-vessel fleet included large (400-foot by 100-foot) barges paired with powerful ocean-going tugs, small lighter tugs to assist in the beaching operation and a myriad of support equipment. Though a challenging project, the supersized cargo was delivered successfully and without incident. The Challenge The crew aboard the four tug-and-barge sets carefully planned and navigated the 6,600-mile transit carrying the oversized cargo from Houston to Angola, a journey that required nearly 40 days at sea. Upon arrival, the Crowley team was challenged with safely landing and securing the barges on the beach while avoiding sub-sea pipelines, and then discharging the oversized load in a remote location with extreme climate conditions, including strong rain …

Four of Crowley Maritime Corp.’s ocean class tugboats, Ocean Wind, Ocean Wave, Ocean Sky and Ocean Sun, completed the successful delivery of the offshore oil production and drilling platform, Olympus, to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The project was significant because it provided the first opportunity for all four of the company’s high-bollard-pull, ocean class tugboats to work together on any single job. The rig, owned by Royal Dutch Shell, is also considered the largest tension-leg platform ever to be developed for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Read more about these high-bollard pull tugs in the Crowley Connections article Power Meets Versatility. The Challenge All four Crowley Ocean Class tugs were required, in both nearshore and offshore waters, to relocate the 120,000-ton, 406-foot tall tension-leg platform from Ingleside, Texas, 425 miles to its deepwater location in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Once in the final position, there was …

In the aftermath of the massive Haitian earthquake in January 2010, clearing debris out of the devastated Port-au-Prince Harbor was just the beginning. There were still millions of people living without food, water or shelter. The need for relief supplies wasn’t something that could be measured in days — each hour the situation was becoming more desperate. We instantly recognized the vital role we could play here and what needed to be done to help alleviate the suffering. The Challenge With the harbor virtually impassable to ships and all offloading facilities completely destroyed, getting relief supplies directly into the city on any effective scale was a near impossibility. Yet each day that passed without help meant more suffering. Against this backdrop Crowley was challenged by the United States Transportation Command to “think big.” The plan we came up with, which became known as “The Crowley Plan,” delivered on …

In late summer 2015, Crowley’s marine solutions team completed the successful installation of customer Furie’s Kitchen Lights natural gas production platform and underwater pipeline in Cook Inlet, Alaska. The project, which spanned two years from the planning phase through completion, was the most recent project in which Crowley served as the prime contractor. It resulted in an incredible amount of engineering and preparation; nearly 300 on-site, contracted workers; up to 20 support vessels, both Crowley-owned and chartered; and loads of innovative thinking. Read more about Crowley’s total solution for Furie during this project in the Crowley Connections article Crowley Shines during Kitchen Lights Installation.  The Challenge With a short weather window and difficulties due to the harsh environment, the Crowley team faced extreme challenges throughout the project. For starters, every six hours, the tides in Cook Inlet changed by up to 35 feet, causing extreme currents of seven knots …

In 2010, Crowley’s high-deck-strength series deck barges, 455-8 and 455-7, delivered a DOYON drill rig to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to support BP’s North Slope drilling operations. The rig, which is capable of working efficiently in extreme arctic conditions, was originally loaded on the sister barges in the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington, and were towed to the site by tugs Gladiator and Guardsman. 455-7 carried eight pieces of the drilling complex, consisting of 32 rig mats and totaling more than 4.3 million pounds, while 455-8 carried four pieces, consisting of 30 rig mats and totaling more than 3.6 million pounds. The Challenge The Crowley team faced several challenges during the transit and delivery, including low water depth at both the Columbia River load berth and the Prudhoe Bay discharge berth, navigating the polar-ice pack (large areas of frozen seawater that break apart and retreat from the shoreline typically during six-eight weeks during the summer) and adverse weather …

In March of 2015, Crowley’s liner services group transported two massive electrical equipment enclosures with a combined weight of 196,000 pounds to San Juan, Puerto Rico This was a feat that required shifting the company’s 580-foot triple-deck barge La Princesa beside its normal berth at the Crowley terminal in Jacksonville, Fla., so that the pieces could be rolled onto the lower deck of the barge free of obstruction from the loading ramp. Read more about Crowley’s supply chain solutions for breakbulk, NIT and project cargo shipping.  The Challenge Crowley was contracted by ATS International (ATSI) for the ocean transportation of the 12-foot wide, 16-foot tall, 63-foot long enclosures, which contained generating equipment. ATSI handled the over-the-road transportation and delivered the enclosures to the port on over-length, four-axle specialty trailers. But, once delivered, the cargo was too large to be loaded onto the barge at its normal berth. Additionally, the lanes …

On three separate occasions, Crowley successfully towed Orlan, a 312-foot concrete island drilling structure (CIDS), for drilling projects in Russia. The Orlan has a 34-foot draft and consists of four basic components – a steel mud base, a concrete brick caisson, and two steel deck barges on which the drilling rig, support equipment, and quarters are mounted. Pulled by two Crowley Sea Victory class 7200 BHP, twin-screw, oceangoing tugs, and a third arctic-ice management tug, the first tow in 2001 moved Orlan from its stack site near Northstar Island, off Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Sovetskaya Gavan, Russian Federation. This relocation facilitated modifications to the structure as part of the Sakhalin 1 project in offshore Russia.  Crowley towed Orlan again in 2004 to Ulsan, South Korea, with two Sea Victory class tugs and a 19,000 BHP Smitwijs ocean tug, the Wolraad Woltemade, where she was outfitted as an offshore …

Crowley’s Solutions group was hired by Parker and BP to move two Arctic Alaskan Drilling Units (AADU), collectively weighing more than 10,000 tons, from Vancouver, Wash., to Prudhoe Bay, a trip of more than 3,000 miles. Both modules were loaded onto the heavy-strength deck barge, 455-5, for tow from the Columbia River to the North Slope by the high-torque Crowley tugboat Guardsman. At Prudhoe Bay, each of the six self-propelled modules were hauled one at a time onto the 455-4 (a process called “lightering”) and was then pushed through six-foot deep water by Crowley’s shallow draft tugs to shore. Read more about Crowley’s maritime solutions opportunities and capabilities. The Challenge Crowley was in charge of all aspects of this daunting project – project planning; loading, transit and offloading details; and the final demobilization tasks. Crowley faced an uphill battle from the start, as flooding on Washington’s Columbia River from heavy …

In late 2009 and early 2010, Crowley had the opportunity to transport oversized offshore equipment and drilling packages to Peregrino oil field in Brazil, located more than 50 miles offshore east of Rio de Janeiro. The production platform, jackets, and packages were loaded on six barges in Ingleside, Texas, and were transited over a period of 35 days, including one scheduled fuel stop in Trinidad. When the project was complete in February 2010, all Crowley tugs and barges returned to the Gulf of Mexico after nearly five months at work – making the project one of the largest Crowley operations in 2009. The Challenge The enormous size and quantity of offshore equipment and drilling packages alone was a challenge, and because of this Crowley chose to take a longer route from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Brazil to ensure safety. Once the heavy equipment arrived in Brazil, it …

Global Industries constructed and launched two of the first deep-water, derrick pipe-laying vessels of their kind to install offshore platforms, build and lay deep-water pipelines, install subsea infrastructure and decommission offshore facilities worldwide. The vessels, the Global 1200 and Global 1201, delivered in 2010 and 2011 respectively, are large enough to house more than 260 people on board for months at a time. Because of their size and the type of work they do, the vessels are equipped with electric motors and propulsion, as well as satellite-based Dynamic Positioning 2 (DP2) for precise maneuvering. Read more about Crowley’s global ship management services. | Watch a short video outlining best practices in ship management.  The Challenge Because all eyes were on the two new state-of-the-art vessels, Global needed to be sure that they would be constructed, crewed and managed to the highest standards. This began in the shipyard, where …

More and more new resorts are popping up throughout the Caribbean. But unlike construction on the U.S. mainland, building a resort on these islands represents a logistical dance that must be choreographed months or even years in advance. After all, when you’re 1,000 nautical miles from the nearest lumberyard, running short of plywood is no small thing. With so much on the line and the margin for error so narrow, an increasing number of builders are turning to Crowley to ensure it all goes smoothly. Read more about Crowley’s ability to seamlessly handle project cargo in the Caribbean in the Crowley Connections article Project Caribbean – It’s all in the Details. The Challenge For a large hotel like the Marriot Vacation Club at Frenchman’s Cove, build times can be 40% longer than on the mainland. All materials, known as project cargo, have to be shipped in, and because …

Today’s challenging economic climate has only reinforced the need for businesses, including shipping companies, to operate at maximum efficiency, while maintaining a commitment to safety and environmental awareness. Faced with this new financial reality, many ship owners have decided to divest themselves from the ship management business, instead looking for partners in whom they can entrust many of the day-to-day operational details, leveraging the 3rd-party expertise while reducing their own overhead. Read more about life onboard these tankers as they deliver products coast to coast in the Crowley Connections article Anchors Aweigh. The Challenge The bankruptcy of U.S. Shipping Partners in April 2009 presented the Blackstone Group with a problem. As the financial backer in a shipbuilding venture that would ultimately deliver five petroleum tankers, they were suddenly in need of a partner who could manage the project. NASSCO had already delivered two ships, but three more were …

As part of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, older, single-hulled petroleum transport vessels have been gradually phased out in favor of double-hulled vessels that reduce the risk of environmental disasters. As part of our constant push for product innovation, we developed and have been continually refining our Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) design, working to create a vessel that facilitates safer more cost-efficient operations while mitigating environmental risks. Read more about the value of having Crowley’s construction managers as your advocate in the shipyard in the Crowley Connections article Eyes on Quality. Watch a short video outlining our Safe and Reliable ATB Program. The Challenge In order to meet the demands and requests of our customers, we were tasked with building a vessel that could carry 330,000 barrels of products. More importantly, this vessel needed to be able to make 15 knots, without sacrificing any maneuverability or stability that …

Of the 1.5 million tourists that visit Alaska annually, 60 percent make the trek on board the 27 cruise liners scheduled for the state’s ports. With an influx of so many ships and people each season, Alaska voters passed a ballot measure in 2006 that outlined regulations that protected the state’s wildlife and waterways from pollution, assessed appropriate taxes on the tourist industry and safeguarded local businesses. The resulting legislative change required the State of Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) to develop a program for enforcing these new measures, which were the first of their kind in any U.S. state. ADEC turned to Crowley for help. Read more about the Ocean Rangers in Crowley’s spring 2012 issue of Connections. The Ocean Rangers program ended following the summer cruise season in 2019. The Challenge Soon after the measure was passed, ADEC established strict environmental regulations and sought to create a …

Crowley successfully shipped six oversized, overweight Canadian wind turbine blades from Port Everglades, Fla., to Limon, Costa Rica. Crowley transported the blades quickly and safely on board the Lift-on/Lift-off (Lo/Lo) vessel Stadt Emden, an often overlooked solution for break-bulk shipments. The decision to move this cargo via a Lo/Lo vessel instead of a traditional Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro/Ro) ship meant a faster delivery by more than a week – a time savings that allowed Crowley to meet the tight deadline required by the shipper. The Challenge Each of the six blades weighed more than two-and-a-half tons and measured just over 72 feet long. Each blade was nearly five feet in diameter, width and height, which added additional challenges to their handling. The shipment also had to be unloaded from a truck and lifted to a vessel, and needed to be properly secured for the more than 1,800-mile long trip to …

In advance of Valentine’s Day 2014, CrowleyFresh fulfilled over 17,000 custom floral orders – amounting to 100,000 boxes of fresh flowers from Colombia and Equador — for a major supplier serving customers across the United States. This marked the third year that cold-chain warehouse and logistics services were jointly offered by the company to the flower industry in advance of one of the biggest holidays. The team prepared similarly for Easter and Mother’s day, which brought in influxes of rose and carnation orders. The Challenge In addition to supplying major flower suppliers with over 17,000 custom floral orders for individual home delivery customers, the CrowleyFresh team supplied over 14,000 custom floral arrangements to multiple military bases in Virginia, as well as to stores and retailers across the country in advance of the holidays. Though the facility is accustomed to handling floral products year-round, the influx of holiday …

Crowley delivered BP’s Northstar Operations Center, which was made up of two pieces and weighed more than 3,511 tons, from McDermott Shipyards in Amelia, La., to Northstar Island in Alaska. The sealift required modifying the barge 455-3 to carry the cargo through the Panama Canal before transiting up the West Coast to Alaska, where Northstar Island, surrounded by deep water, presented a whole new set of challenges. The Challenge Crowley’s solutions team had to overcome major obstacles before the project began, as the project was about to go underway and at the delivery of the modules. The journey required transit through the Panama Canal, which has a maximum allowable vessel width of 106 feet, while Crowley’s 455 series barges are 105 feet wide, which is wider than most vessels transiting the canal. Then, around the time of departure, the Mississippi River area experienced extreme flooding, making the main …