Crowley Bags ROCON Fleet Management Deal

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s government services group has been awarded a new technical management contract for five U.S. government-owned, Military Sealift Command (MSC) Roll-On/Roll-Off and container ships (ROCON).

Under the approximately USD 130 million contract, Crowley will provide full turnkey operation and management of the fleet, including crewing and scheduled/unscheduled repair and drydocking services initially for one year with four, additional one-year options. The turnover phase for the ships began on October 1.

Of these five vessels, two will remain berthed in Jacksonville and three will be homeported in Norfolk – all within the service area of Crowley’s local offices.

Crowley said that the contract would have a positive economic impact through the creation of several new jobs in both Jacksonville and Norfolk. The ships ­– USNS 1st LT Harry L. Martin, USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat, USNS SGT Matej Kocak, USNS PFC Eugene A. Obregon and the USNS MAJ Stephen W. Pless ­– will be used to transport cargo throughout the world in support of the U.S. military.

“Crowley is proud to have been selected to provide technical management for this government fleet,” said Crowley’s Paul Varghese, general manager, government services. “This contract is a perfect fit for us, and would not be possible without the hard work and determination of our remarkable government team and the tremendous support we received from MSC.”

Crowley’s government services team provides bundled vessel management solutions for the United States Maritime Administration, Military Sealift Command, and other agencies along with custodial services for vessels seized by U.S. Government agencies.