Crowley Shipping Announces New Management Team
Crowley Maritime Corp. announced today it has appointed four industry veterans to oversee the consolidated lines of business under the recently formed Crowley Shipping group, which provides petroleum and chemical transportation, commercial ship management, offshore energy support, and ship assist and tanker escort services in the U.S. and international markets.
The new business unit structure better aligns vessel operations and services with customers, positioning Crowley for greater growth and efficiency under Rob Grune, senior vice president and general manager. Leadership of Crowley Shipping’s lines of business includes:
Tucker Gilliam, vice president, petroleum services, who will have responsibility for a fleet of 37 owned or managed tankers and articulated tug-barges for bulk petroleum and chemical transportation throughout the U.S. Gulf, East Coast, West Coast, and Alaska, as well as international ports. Gilliam, who is based in Jacksonville, was previously vice president, special projects, overseeing Crowley’s $550 million Commitment Class project, which includes new LNG-fueled ConRo container ships and a new pier and terminal in Puerto Rico for the liner services group.
Cole Cosgrove, vice president, ship management, will lead Crowley’s commercial ship management and technical services for diverse and specialized fleets across the globe, including Crowley Accord’s international ship management services. He will also oversee the new Commitment Class ConRos serving the U.S. mainland-Puerto Rico trade. Cosgrove, based in Jacksonville, was previously vice president, marine operations, managing both the international liner chartered vessels and the domestic Puerto Rico liner services vessels, as well as shore-side marine support operations.
Johan Sperling, vice president, marine services, will lead ship assist and tanker escort services as well as oversee the ocean-class tug and flat-deck barge fleets, which provide specialized cargo transportation. Based in Seattle, Sperling was previously vice president of marine solutions, and managed Jensen Maritime, Crowley’s naval architecture and marine engineering subsidiary.
Paul Manzi, vice president, Crowley Alaska Tankers, will lead the new business associated with the pending purchase of three petroleum tankers from SeaRiver Maritime. Manzi was previously vice president, safety, security, quality and environmental stewardship. He has previous experience in shipping and hydrocarbon exploration services in a variety of roles. He will be based in Seattle.
“Each of these individuals is highly qualified and has a record of delivering solutions and services that benefit customers,” Grune said. “With their leadership, our customers will receive safe and reliable services that will be more efficient because our markets, processes and technology are even more integrated.”
Crowley is underway with a transition of its non-liner and logistics business units into three main business units – Crowley Shipping, Crowley Fuels and Crowley Solutions. Crowley Fuels includes Crowley’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales, distribution and engineering unit, and the company’s fuel sales and distribution business in Alaska. Crowley Solutions consists of engineering and project management services; naval architecture and engineering through subsidiary Jensen Maritime; government vessel management; and a unified government business development team.
This orderly and transparent transition is allowing the corporation to stay keenly focused on running the business with the same reliable service customers have come to expect over Crowley’s long history.