Government and Military

Crowley provides the following services as a bundled solution for managing vessels for the United States Maritime Administration, Military Sealift Command, and other agencies:

• Operational and technical support- Port engineers and/or port captains are assigned to manage the maintenance and repair plans, and provide shipyard supervision during periodic dry-dockings.  They also ensure compliance with regulatory agencies and coordinate vetting inspections and internal/external audits.  Vessel safety assessments are conducted and awareness training is provided as required. 
• Crewing support- The crewing department and labor relations groups are experienced with both domestic and international crewing requirements.  Long-standing, positive working relationships with the major labor organizations allow Crowley to provide skilled crew for any vessel type as well as training programs for continuing education.  Crew travel arrangements are made in-house by Crowley’s travel department. 
• Safety, Security, Quality, Environmental Assurance- Successful operations are built on well documented Management Systems, with clear procedures and guidelines.  Crowley has extensive experience in developing and implementing such systems.  Crowley’s systems meet the requirements of ISO 9000 and 14000, ISM Code, and Responsible Carrier Program.
• Procurement- Crowley’s purchasing department prices and procures material, supplies, and spares, ensuring best value by utilizing company volume discount in order to pass along benefits to the customer.  A logistics manager arranges the delivery of supplies and coordinates the delivery with port agents and the vessel. 
• Accounting- Contract administrators work with the vessel managers to develop and execute an operating budget.  After preparing the annual budget, actual monthly performance is tracked in order to identify any variances.  Other contract administration functions such as re-billing and documentation management are provided. 
• Risk Management and Legal- These departments are relied upon for consultation services as required, such as to quote and/or place P&I insurance for or on behalf of owner, handle or adjust P&I claims on behalf of owner, or provide training and guidance to adhere to appropriate business practices.

Crowley has provided custodial services for vessels seized by the U.S. Government agencies and prime contractor, including the Treasury Department, and U.S. Coast Guard. 

When the Coast Guard found the Olympiakos abandoned late in 2009, the prime contractor, VSE Corporation, was notified.  VSE needed a substitute custodian for the Olympiakos in Puerto Rico, they contracted with Crowley to provide 24 hour security, pollution control measures, insurance, and engineering services to ensure the safety and security of the vessel until final disposition.

Crowley‘s exceptional team of naval architects, marine engineers and maritime specialists are involved in a wide variety of projects to which they bring a depth of knowledge and experience unsurpassed in the marine industry.

In addition to design and conversion support, specific areas of expertise include:

• Inclining experiments and stability analysis
• Speed and power prediction
• Ship motion prediction
• Finite element analysis
• Transportation systems simulations
• Mooring analysis

More on Vessel Design and Construction Management >

Crowley provides marine engineering services including complete marine electrical design; tonnage and admeasurement; inclining experiments; stability and load line reports; and finite element analysis.  Crowley was contracted by the Military Sealift Command to provide project management and engineering services to implement shipwide automation, control and monitoring systems for individual and multiple ship classes and platforms fleet wide.

Crowley's overall project coordination from ship design to final delivery includes the management of the following aspects of new build production:

• Initial program definition
• Shipbuilder vetting and equipment selections
• Contact negotiation and administration
• Contract technical services
• Construction oversight
• Delivery and follow up

Crowley specializes in moving the most challenging cargo loads – including offshore drilling platforms and project cargo.  From the Russian Far East and Alaska to South America and Africa, our extensive fleet can make any delivery in any conditions—at sea to secure mission points, onto dock facilities, or onto a remote beach.

For more information about Crowley's Cargo shipping services please visit the Shipping and Logistic Page.

Crowley has extensive experience towing government-owned and former government-owned vessels in the open ocean and through the Panama Canal as well as around the tip of South America for a vessel that could not sail through the Canal.  The following are specialized towing operations managed by Crowley:

• ex-USNS Higgins from its berth in Suisun Bay, CA, to Mobile, AL, in 2009
• ex-USS Oriskany to the Gulf of Mexico May 2006 to create the world’s largest artificial reef
• USS Belleau Wood to Pearl Harbor in 2005, to create an artificial reef.
• USS Iowa from Newport, RI, to Suisun Bay, CA, in 2001
• USS New Jersey from Washington State to the east coast via the Panama Canal in 1999
• USS Oriskany from Vallejo to Beaumont, TX, around the tip of South America because the ship would not fit through the Panama Canal in 1999, one of the longest tows in history 

Crowley helps ships navigate high-traffic harbors and ports through the West Coast and Alaska, offering the services of an extensive fleet of ecologically sound tugs and unmatched expertise in the wheelhouse.

Many government and military agencies require specialized vessels with specific capabilities and crews that hold valid security clearances.  Crowley has the resources, experience, and management to meet these requirements.

When United Launch Alliance needed to charter a vessel for scientific research, they contracted with Crowley to provide all the necessary management, personnel, equipment, facilities, materials, supplies, and services to provide a ship that met very specific requirements for security, size, deck space, stabilizers, and accommodations.

In 2007, Crowley was awarded a multi-year contract to design and implement a program to meet the State of Alaska’s requirements for environmental and safety compliancy for passenger cruise vessels.  Ocean Rangers are licensed marine engineers, whom Crowley has trained in the specifics for observing, inspecting, testing and reporting as required by Alaska law.  Crowley recruited, hired, trained, and scheduled Ocean Rangers in order to perform tasks on each large cruise ship in Alaskan waters during the cruise season, May through September, as well as managed the reporting process.

Since 2009, Crowley has designed and implemented a training program for the Kuwaiti Navy for tug crewing and operations.

Crowley's extensive sea and land transportation networks ensure goods get to delivery points as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible.  Services include:

• freight forwarding
• ocean, inland, and air transportation
• customs house brokerage
• cargo insurance
• warehousing and distribution

Crowley has a longstanding relationship with the U.S. Government providing ship managment services for Military Sealift Command, Maritime Administration as part of the Government's Ready Reserve Force (RRF) Program, and Naval Sea Systems Command.  

When a winter storm late 2009 caused the Monongahela to break loose from her berth and drift aground in the St. James River, Crowley successfully managed the refloation and return of the ship to its berth.

When the ex-US Tripoli required overhaul NavSea contracted with Crowley to manage the entire process, develop specifications, generate RFP, review responses and award a contract on behalf of the agency.  Crowley also has an experienced port engineer on site at the shipyard to supervise the entire project.

Crowley provides rapid response to every type of marine emergency anywhere in the world, and can deploy resources to handle wreck removal, salvage, firefighting, fuel lightering and disaster response services.