Crowley adds Caribbean ro/ro service

Crowley adds Caribbean ro/ro service    Crowley Maritime Corp.’s liner services group will start a roll-on/roll-off liner cargo service March 17 between Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
   The fixed weekly schedule will support shippers moving cargo between the islands and to the Caribbean from Crowley’s Pennsauken, N.J., and Jacksonville, Fla., terminals, the Jacksonville-based company said.
   “Crowley has been serving these markets for many years and is committed to continually providing the best solutions for the region’s transportation needs,' said Tony Otero, vice president of Crowley's Dominican Republic/Haiti and Cuba liner services, in a statement. 'The Caribbean market continues to be an integral part of growing our company.”
   “As a ro/ro service, we will be able to handle project cargo, including heavy and oversized shipments, in addition to our standard and refrigerated container shipments,” said Crowley’s Matt Jackson, vice president of Caribbean services.
   The first sailing with the Crowley Shipper departs San Juan Thursday, March 17, for arrival in St. Thomas Friday morning. The ship will depart later that day and arrive back in San Juan on Saturday. From there, the vessel leaves Saturday for Santo Domingo, arriving on Sunday. The ship then returns to San Juan arriving on Monday. The rotation begins again on Thursday.
   “The route from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico and St. Thomas is particularly important,” Jackson said. “Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean will benefit greatly from the commodities produced by the Dominican Republic — products like pharmaceuticals, steel and rebar, beverages and produce.”
   Cargoes in the Northeast departing from Crowley’s Pennsauken terminal are scheduled to connect with the new ro/ro service on Thursdays, and cargoes in the South Atlantic, departing from Crowley’s Jacksonville terminal, are scheduled to connect with the new service in San Juan on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.