Crowley Maritime Trucks Continue to Aid Puerto Rico

by Jake Tully - Published: 10/09/2017

As residents of Puerto Rico continue to convalesce from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Crowley Maritime Corporation announced earlier today its plans to continue working alongside FEMA in order to aid relief efforts.

According to Crowley Maritime, both trucks and vessels will be used in order to aid those impacted by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, with a reported 375 trucks expediting deliveries to relief zones.

Crowley Maritime Senior Vice President and General Manager, Logistics and Commercial Services, Frank Larkin reports that the company’s trucks have been a valuable resource, standing as one of the first commercial trucking that was able to respond when Hurricane Maria hit.

“I am very pleased and appreciative of the efforts our truck drivers have made to speed relief cargo to those in need,” said Larkin. “We were the only logistics provider that had truck power – albeit limited at the time – available as soon as the U.S. Coast Guard reopened the port in San Juan. The port was reopened at 8 a.m. on Sept. 23, the first Crowley vessel was in discharging cargo at 10 a.m., and many of our truckers were right there to deliver relief cargo to FEMA’s distribution center when no other trucking or logistics company was providing transportation services on the island.”

Crowley reports that the majority of the company’s relief efforts in Puerto Rico are being directed by its logistics division, with a dedicated team providing among other services drayage, final mile deliveries and direct deliveries.

This team in Puerto Rico is reportedly working alongside a team based in the U.S. coordinating trucking and other cargo deliveries to ports for delivery via ocean.

“With our logistics operation, we are storing goods at our Guaynabo distribution center and releasing products once they are needed," said general manager of Crowley’s logistics operation in San Juan, Ayesha Diaz,. “We have also been supporting airport operations providing forklift equipment and operators to expedite the handling of air freight.”

In facilitating more relief to Puerto Rico, Crowley Maritime is also utilizing its vessel-oriented divisions alongside commercial vehicles.