Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/715089
Below: Cargo hoses connect USNS Yukon to the Crowley-managed Empire State 150 feet away during UNREP operations off the coast of San Diego, Calif. Photo: Sarah E. Burford, MSC [Our] success is due to our unique combination of technical maritime skills that are overlaid with global logistics capabilities. There really isn't another company that could offer this kind of support as quickly and safely as we did." Crowley also supports the U.S. Air Force, Federal Aviation Administration, Coast Guard, Army, National Guard and Department of the Interior installations throughout Alaska by providing petroleum products by both land and water. The distributed petroleum is used in military and other aircraft, marine equipment, vehicles, generators and heaters. The Jacksonville, Fla., office, which serves as Crowley's corporate headquarters, has also seen some upgrades in support of the company's government-focused efforts. A dedicated section of the building has received top secret facility clearance and has been secured with a passcode entrance, to which only those employees on government contracts have access without escort. And, 23 of those local employees have undergone a series of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) study programs designed to bolster their working knowledge of the rules by which all government purchases are governed and set them on their way to becoming Certified Federal Contract Managers. The company also provides substitute custodial services for vessels seized by U.S. agencies, including the Treasury Department and Coast Guard. One such example was when the Coast Guard found the 1,128-ton Olympiakos cargo ship abandoned in the waters off the coast of Puerto Rico. Crowley was commissioned to provide 24-hour security, pollution control, insurance, and engineering services to ensure the safety and security of the vessel until final release of the vessel via an auction sale. Proving that its services aren't confined to water transport, Crowley also handles air shipments of foodstuffs, including frozen poultry, meats, seafood and seasonal products for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops, including soldiers from up to 28 different countries, stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan. Since mid-2014, Crowley has warehoused and moved 1,400 tons of temperature-sensitive goods in more than a dozen different air shipments. Support Isn't Always Routine While some of the services Crowley provides to the U.S. government are scripted for years at a time, the company is also frequently included in government's immediate response to areas stricken with disaster or crisis. In 2015, Crowley provided critical logistics services in support of Operation United Assistance (OUA), the U.S. military's mission to fight the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. Specifically, Crowley supplied emergency shipping, warehousing, trucking, stevedoring, customs brokerage and other logistics capabilities, first to the DLA and subsequently to the U.S. Army in both Liberia and Senegal, Africa. Crowley's efforts ultimately supported the more than 3,000 deployed U.S. troops and made possible the construction of 17 fully stocked, remote Ebola treatment centers. "Crowley's ability to respond to a requirement of that magnitude with very little time is a testament to the company's global reach and commitment to deliver," said Bleu Hilburn, director, business development, logistics. "This success is due to our unique combination of technical maritime skills that are overlaid with global logistics capabilities. There really isn't another company that could offer this kind of support as quickly and safely as we did." 12