Crowley Launches Heavy Lift Deck Barge

Crowley Maritime recently christened and launched its latest delivery, a heavy lift deck barge, at Gunderson Marine Shipyard in Portland, Oregon. The series 455-5 barge is the 42nd built at the Gunderson yard for Crowley. The 400-foot-long by 105-foot-wide heavy-lift barge will be used to transport a large land-based drilling rig for Parker Drilling and BP, the company said.

Crowley's 455 series deck barges with 25-foot side shells have increased deck strength for loads up to 4,200 pounds per square foot and can accommodate larger drilling and production units used for deepwater offshore energy exploration and development. Crowley plans to build as many as 13 by 2013. The largest, already in operation in the U.S. Gulf, measures 400 feet by 130 feet. Construction of the 455-6, the next barge in the series, is currently underway and it is expected to be delivered by Gunderson this summer.

"We are pleased to be able to continue providing services to customers doing offshore project work with the introduction of the barge 455-5," Bruce Harland, Crowley’s vice president of contract services in Alaska said in a statement from the company. "This christening and the continuous construction of new vessels is evidence of our commitment to our customers who have a need for new, large-sized, high-capacity barges."

Saturday's christening is the latest of several vessel deliveries and christenings for Crowley this year, including heavy-lift series barge 455-4; the 185,000-barrel capacity articulated tug barge (ATB) Commitment/650-6,and the tug Nachik, a vessel specifically designed to overcome the challenges of delivering fuel and freight in shallow Alaskan waters with enhanced safety and environmental protections.

Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings is a holding company of the 117-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation and is a privately held family and employee-owned company with six operating lines of business: Puerto Rico/Caribbean Liner Services, Latin America Liner Services, Logistics Services, Petroleum Services, Marine Services and Technical Services.

Contact Janet Nodar at jcnodar@bellsouth.net.