The following is the text of a news release from Crowley Maritime Corp.:
(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — Responding to customers’ needs for additional shipping service in the Northeast, Crowley Maritime Corp.’s liner services group has announced it will add sailings between Pennsauken, N.J., and San Juan, Puerto Rico, this summer.
“With our accelerated sailing schedule, we have determined that we can add a sailing each month between Pennsauken and San Juan,” said John Hourihan, Crowley senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico services. “We’ve been working diligently since last December to add capacity and tweak our vessel rotations and operations to accommodate as much cargo as possible. This enhancement will surely benefit our customers in the Northeast who have been adjusting to capacity issues caused by the departure of Horizon Lines from the market.”
The 580-series, triple-deck ro-ro barge capable of carrying 345 loads will alternate between the South Atlantic and North Atlantic services, and generate one southbound and one northbound sailing each month between Pennsauken and San Juan. Even with this change, all Crowley vessels operating on an accelerated schedule will be able to continue to provide four sailings per week between Jacksonville, Fla., and San Juan.
Since mid-December, Crowley has, through a number of service enhancements, created additional weekly cargo carrying capacity. Included in these enhancements was the addition of a new flat-deck barge capable of carrying up to 400 additional loads between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico. Crowley has also ordered and begun placing into service more than 7,000 pieces of new cargo handling equipment, including 40-foot, 45-foot and 48-foot high cube containers, 20-foot ISO tanks and a variety of fixed and slider chassis.
