Crowley, King Ocean enter vessel sharing agreement

The deal authorizes Crowley to charter space to King Ocean in the trade from the U.S. East Coast to Trinidad, and authorizes King Ocean to charter space to Crowley in the trade from the U.S. East Coast to St. Lucia and Barbados.    Two long-time customers at Port Everglades in Broward County, Fla., have entered into a vessel sharing agreement they say will expand their reach into the port’s top trade market, Central America.
   In announcing the agreement on Aug. 7, ocean carriers Crowley Caribbean Services and King Ocean Services said the deal authorizes Crowley to charter space to King Ocean in the trade from the U.S. East Coast to Trinidad, and authorizes King Ocean to charter space to Crowley in the trade from the U.S. East Coast to St. Lucia and Barbados.
   It also authorizes the two carriers to charter space to each other on an as needed/as available basis for the northbound movement of empty containers.
   King Ocean will operate its own ship from Port Everglades to Costa Rica for the first time, alternating ships with Crowley on the route each week.
   “This new agreement saves our customers time, at least by one full day, because we now have direct service to Port Everglades from Costa Rica and Panama instead of stopping in Miami first,” King Ocean spokesman Franco da Costa Gomez said.
   According to figures from Port Everglades, Central America accounts for 37 percent of all international trade through the port, with refrigerated cargoes like pineapples and melons among the top import commodities.
   “We are pleased that Crowley and King Ocean found a mutually beneficial way to provide expanded services to their customers,” Port Everglades Business Development Director Jim Pyburn said in a statement.