Crowley delivers for London’s Royal Ballet’s historic performance in Cuba this week

(Havana, Cuba; July 13, 2009) — Beginning this week, hundreds and possibly even thousands of Cubans will have the opportunity to see world-class dancers from The Royal Ballet, Great Britain’s largest and most prestigious ballet company, as it performs in Cuba’s two most iconic theaters, the Gran Teatro de la Habana, Sala Garcia Lorca and the Karl Marx Teatro.

The historic cultural exchange for the ballet company began weeks ago, as Crowley personnel put the transportation details together to get the eight 40-foot containers from Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center to Port Everglades, Fla. On July 6, they were loaded aboard Crowley’s container ship, the Elb Carrier, for their one-day journey to Cuba. The eight containers carried a variety of items for the ballet performances, including costumes, stage equipment, sets, scenery and props.

“We are excited to be part of this momentous occasion for The Royal Ballet and we are sure that they will be well received by the Cuban people, who are well-accustomed to the world class performances of the Cuban National Ballet,” said Jay Brickman, Crowley’s vice president of government services. “From the very beginning our logistics and liner teams worked together to make sure our production went smoothly, ensuring The Royal Ballet had time to unload their cargo and set-up for these performances properly.”

Geoff Wheel, technical director for The Royal Ballet, said, “We really couldn’t have done the Cuban part of the tour without Crowley’s license to ship directly between the United States and Cuba, let alone their expertise. Our schedule just wouldn’t allow it. It’s been really fast and efficient and it’s made all the difference to have them as part of the team.”

The Royal Ballet has performances scheduled in Cuba from July 14 to July 18. The much-anticipated shows will also be broadcast live on two big screens in the Havana’s city center, where people who cannot attend the concert can watch four of the performances for free. The Royal Ballet will be performing a mixed program featuring Chroma, Divertissements and A Month in the Country and Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon.

Crowley is authorized to ship licensed cargo to Cuba. Currently, Crowley sails to Havana, Cuba, from Port Everglades and Jacksonville, Fla., as an alternate port every week. Eligible commodities for export to Cuba are detailed under Section 902(1) of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.

Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company of the 117-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family and employee-owned company that provides diversified 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 the following services: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response; vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture; government services, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may be found on the Internet at www.crowley.com.

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