Crowley to Build Two Additional Heavy Lift 455 Series Deck Barges
Total Fleet Size will Increase to Five
(Jacksonville, Fla.; Jan. 23, 2008) – Crowley Maritime Corporation’s technical services group has awarded a construction contract to Gunderson Marine of Portland, Ore., to build two additional Heavy Lift series 400-foot by 105-foot-wide deck barges. Once complete, these barges will handle project work for the offshore energy industry in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere and will expand Crowley’s fleet of this type barge to five. Gunderson is the same company that built the first three barges in the series the Marty J, 455-2 and 455-3 all of which were delivered last year.
“The first three barges in this series have been well received by our customers,” said John Douglass, Crowley’s senior vice president and general manager, Atlantic/Gulf region. “As we continue to see the offshore energy industry expand and our relationship with them grow, we must be proactive in our ability to provide them with equipment to meet their needs. That is precisely what our intent is with the further expansion of this valuable fleet.”
Crowley’s new Heavy Lift 455 series 400-foot by 105-foot-wide barges with 25-foot side shells provide both the capacity and deck strength needed to accommodate the favored larger units for offshore exploration and development. The barges offer increased stability for loads up to 4,200 pounds per square foot in order to carry the larger offshore structures now being planned and engineered for deepwater projects. The barges are also suitable for use in other regions, including Alaska, where Crowley has regularly performed summer sealifts to the North Slope.
Crowley’s new barges will be classed by the American Bureau of Shipping and receive certification from the United States Coast Guard.
Jacksonville-based Crowley Maritime Corporation, founded in San Francisco in 1892, 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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