Crowley Maritime Buys Jones Act Tankers From SeaRiver

The tanker subsidiary of Florida-based Crowley Maritime has purchased three U.S.-flag vessels from Exxon subsidiary SeaRiver Maritime. The ships include the recently delivered crude tankers Liberty Bay and Eagle Bay and the 2000-built product tanker SR American Progress. They will be chartered back to SeaRiver under Crowley’s management. 

“We are proud of the SeaRiver acquisition and will operate these tankers with our relentless pursuit of quality and safety,” said Tom Crowley, chairman and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corp. “We were selected as the company who could deliver, and we are committed to doing just that – by operating these assets in the safest, most reliable manner possible.”

Crowley still has to obtain regulatory approvals for the Liberty Bay and Eagle Bay’s route between Alaska and the U.S. West Coast. Rob Grune, Crowley SVP and general manager, said that the firm’s excellent safety record will be key to its success.  “Last year, for example, we transported 410 million barrels of product and made 4,868 product transfers with zero spills to environment – a credit to our professional, safety-minded crews and management systems,” he said. This history extends to Alaska, where the firm has been operating ATBs, tugboats and tankers since 1953.

SeaRiver mariners serving on the three vessels will be integrated into the new operation. “We anticipate a smooth transition with SeaRiver crews,” said Rudy Leming, Crowley vice president of labor relations. “We know they share our values – safety, integrity and high performance – and will work diligently with us to uphold them as we serve SeaRiver’s needs.”  

Crowley operates the largest U.S.-flag petroleum and chemical tank vessel fleet. By the end of 2017, the company will be operating 37 Jones Act-qualified large petroleum transportation vessels in the United States, including a tanker and an ATB that are already on charter to SeaRiver.