Crowley to Acquire New Containers

Crowley Liner Services is investing in and modernizing its equipment fleet by acquiring 1,000 new 53-ft. (102-inch wide) and 1,400 new 45-foot (102-inch wide) container/chassis combinations. The new 45-ft. containers, each with 3,268 cubic feet of capacity, will be deployed in Crowley's Latin America and Puerto Rico/Caribbean RoRo services, which include the countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and Virgin Islands. Two hundred and fifty of the 45-foot containers will be equipped with garment racks to accommodate hanging garments in the important apparel markets. The oversized 53-ft. containers, which boast a capacity of 3,857 cubic ft., will be put into the Puerto Rico market, maximizing value for shippers of low density, high-cube cargo like furniture and department store merchandise. "This equipment acquisition is another indication of our willingness to reinvest in our business to provide long-term service excellence for our customers," said Tom Crowley Jr., Chairman, President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation. "Although the containers can be used in LoLo operations, we are dedicating them to our RoRo services, and expect that they will be well received by customers." The new units, which are scheduled to begin to arrive in December, will replace a similar number of 45-ft. and 53-ft. trailers. Like Crowley trailers, these new containers will be 102 in., wide and will afford customers the load protection that comes with their corrugated steel design. For added security, Crowley is having each container built with hardware that will allow for an additional bolt-type seal to lock the door to the doorframe. In addition, heavy-duty plating and special round-headed huck bolts are being used on the door, which will make it very difficult for anyone to gain illegal access. Jindo Corporation is manufacturing all of the containers at its Shanghai, China plant. Seven hundred of the 45-foot chassis are being built by Cheetah Chassis Corp. in Berwick, Pa., and Hyundai Translead in Tijuana, Mexico is constructing 700 45-ft. and 1,000 53-ft. chassis.