CROWLEY MOVES U.S. POULTRY TO CUBA

CROWLEY MOVES U.S. POULTRY TO CUBA    Crowley Liner Services, the subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corp., on Sunday brought containers of frozen poultry into Havana, Cuba ' the first shipment of U.S. goods to the Caribbean island in more than 40 years.
   It was also the first shipment by Crowley for Alimport, the Cuban agency involved with purchasing food products for the country. The poultry was purchased by Alimport and was supplied by Louis Dreyfus Corp.
   Alimport, also known as Empresa Cubana Importadora de Alimentos, purchased the goods from U.S. companies in hopes of providing relief for Cubans impacted by Hurricane Michelle, which caused widespread destruction in Cuba on Nov. 4.
   Earlier this year, Crowley became the first U.S. carrier to obtain a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department to provide regularly scheduled common carrier service for licensed cargo from the United States to the Republic of Cuba.
   The opportunity to participate in the trade was made possible by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, signed into law Oct. 28, 2000 by then President Clinton. The act authorizes OFEC to license the transport of agricultural commodities, medicine, medical devices and other products directly from the United States to Cuba.