Crowley and Seaboard Marine Enter into New Vessel Sharing Agreement
MIAMI, FL – Crowley Maritime Corporation’s liner services group and Seaboard Marine Ltd. have reached a new vessel sharing agreement (VSA) for the Dominican Republic trade lane. The companies have also changed their current vessel sharing agreements for Panama and Costa Rica.
“The cooperation between Crowley and Seaboard in both the Dominican Republic and Panama/Costa Rica trade lanes will allow both companies to continue providing exceptional service at competitive rates in the ever-changing Caribbean and Central American markets,” said Tony Otero, Crowley Vice President, Caribbean Services. “It also reduces certain environmental impacts by significantly removing additional emissions.”
“These two arrangements permit us to gain efficiencies while enhancing schedule integrity to our customers. Transit times to and from Costa Rica, as an example, will be improved,” agreed Edward Gonzalez, Seaboard Marine President and CEO. “We are also pleased that we can reduce our carbon footprint by making these changes.”
According to a press release, the new VSA will go into effect in mid-November. It will provide both companys' customers with a reliable, weekly service on larger ships moving directly between Port Everglades, FL, and Rio Haina in the Dominican Republic. Each Wednesday, a vessel will discharge and load in Port Everglades before departing for Rio Haina. It will reach its destination on Saturday where it will dock again before heading northbound again on Sunday.
Seaboard, however, will still continue to offer Sunday shipping from Port Miami to Rio Haina. Likewise, Crowley's Sunday services from Port Everglades to Rio Haina will remain unchanged.
Crowley and Seaboard will share equal vessel space, although each company will still continue to provide its own full complement of equipment types and other services to its customers. Sharing space will allow the two companies to maintain their high levels of service, while increasing efficiency and decreasing carbon emissions from their operations in these trade lanes.
The existing VSA between Seaboard and Crowley to Panama and Costa Rica will now call only Port Miami starting in mid-November. Both Seaboard and Crowley vessels will dock each Tuesday evening at Port Miami before sailing southbound on Friday.
Congratulations on the accomplishment of this new vessel sharing agreement, Crowley and Seaboard!
