Jacksonville, Florida-based transportation and logistics firm Crowley Maritime has temporarily added six vessels to its fleet as it works round the clock to help Puerto Rico with badly needed supplies in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
Since Maria struck in late September, devastating the Caribbean island’s electricity system and other infrastructure, Crowley has delivered thousands of loads from 20 vessels to the port of San Juan.
By the end of this week that figure should hit 6,500 containers of both commercial cargo and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supplies.
Crowley’s prolific schedule is seeing it dock vessels almost daily to provide a steady supply of food, water, fuel, building materials and equipment for the beleaguered island’s population of 3.4 million.
As a Jones Act shipping line, Crowley has been servicing Puerto Rico since 1954, bringing the island essential supplies and carrying exports from there to the US mainland.
It has around 300 Puerto Rican employees.
The Jones Act mandates that items transported between US seaports must be carried by US vessels with US crews.
Other Jones Act regulars operating out of Jacksonville – TOTE Maritime and Trailer Bridge – have also upped their games and brought extra vessels online for Puerto Rico relief.
But Crowley has been leading the way, in particular with its logistics division onshore deploying more than 375 trucks to expedite distribution of goods.
In September, Crowley was similarly responsive to the needs of Florida after that state’s fuel supply chain was disrupted by Hurricane Irma.
Crowley mobilized 18 Jones Act-compliant petroleum tankers to deliver to various ports in the Sunshine State.
