Crowley enhances Haiti service

Crowley enhances Haiti service    Crowley Maritime Corp. this week renewed its second fixed-day sailing to Port-au-Prince from Rio Haina, Dominican Republic, and Florida's Port Everglades.
   After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Crowley reduced its twice-weekly service to Haiti to a single port call on Mondays due to infrastructure damage and resulting deterioration in the port’s service capabilities.
   Now that the infrastructure has been repaired and those capabilities have been restored, shippers may once again have cargo delivered to Haiti from the Dominican Republic or South Florida on Fridays in addition to Mondays. This allows shipments to arrive in stores when they are most needed, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based carrier said.
   The service rotation is Port Everglades, Rio Haina, Port-au-Prince and Port Everglades. Crowley operates two lift-on/lift-off containerships and a range of equipment to serve the markets.
   The reestablishment of the second sailing makes Crowley the only carrier with twice-weekly shipments directly from the Dominican Republic to Haiti.
   'This advantage will benefit the many Dominican Republic businesses that deliver products to support Haiti’s growing market and reconstruction efforts by providing a safe and reliable alternative to trucking products across the countries’ borders,' Crowley said.
   The carrier also noted the additional sailing to Haiti coincides with the start of the country’s annual mango season. Last year, Crowley shipped nearly 400 loads of mangoes during the peak season.