Bowhead Transport Company and Crowley Marine Services Announce Joint Venture
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska; April 25, 2013) – Bowhead Transport Company, LLC, and Crowley Marine Services, Inc., have announced the formation of a joint venture to provide marine services in Alaska’s Arctic. The new Alaska-based joint venture will operate under the name UIC Bowhead-Crowley, LLC. Bowhead Transport is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC), the Alaska Native Village Corporation of Barrow, Alaska.
Both companies have longstanding histories of providing services in the Arctic with Bowhead Transport Company providing common carriage service for 30 years to the coastal communities of Alaska and Crowley providing marine transportation, energy support and petroleum distribution services for over 60 years throughout the state.
The companies’ complementary business models offer clients a comprehensive package for their marine, logistics and transportation needs. The UIC Bowhead-Crowley joint venture will be mainly focused on the oil and gas industries and supporting their growing needs in the Arctic. Because of the companies’ strong ties to the communities in which they work, they are able to facilitate local hire and provide local expertise.
“This new partnership is really tailored to meet the needs of customers in the oil and gas; mining and minerals; and engineering, procurement and construction management industries,” said Crowley’s Bruce Harland, vice president in Anchorage. “Crowley has provided turnkey marine solutions in the Arctic for many years utilizing the company’s diverse capabilities, assets and world-class project management skills. Our solutions team is very much looking forward to working with Bowhead to provide greater value to customers with multifaceted marine and offshore construction-related projects.”
“We look to provide greater efficiency, lower costs, expanded capabilities and higher value to our customers through the joint venture. Both of our companies have a strong commitment to the safety of our employees and those we work with and strive to be good citizens in every community in which we operate,” said Jim Dwight, general manager of Bowhead Transport Company.
About Crowley
Crowley has served the Alaska market since 1953 with a variety of services and today has more than 650 employees statewide. Crowley supports the energy industry on the North Slope with summer sealifts of large production modules along with various marine transportation and project management services. At the southern terminus of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, Crowley provides tanker escort and docking services in Valdez Harbor and Prince William Sound for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System, utilizing some of the most technologically advanced and powerful tugboats in the world. As a leader in the Alaska fuel industry, Crowley provides transportation, distribution and sales of petroleum products to more than 280 communities across Alaska. To learn more about Crowley in Alaska, visit: www.crowleyalaska.com And to learn more about Crowley Maritime Corporation, the 121-year-old, privately held company providing project solutions, transportation and logistics services around the world, please visit: www.crowley.com.
About UIC and Bowhead Transport Company
UIC is the Alaska Native Village Corporation of Barrow, Alaska and provides social and economic resources to over 2,500 Iñupiat shareholders and their descendants. UIC has over 2,000 employees worldwide and provides services to clients in a variety of industries, including operations in Barrow, construction, architecture and engineering, regulatory consulting, information technology, marine operations, logistics, and maintenance and manufacturing. Bowhead Transport Company is based in Seattle, WA and an experienced provider of marine cargo transportation. Their diverse fleet of vessels serves the coastal communities of the North Slope of Alaska. More information about UIC and its family of companies can be found at www.uicalaska.com.
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