Crowley
set to reorganise
Tom Crowley's men are set for a
transcontinental chair swap as the company regroups. Questions about labour
arrangements remain unanswered.
By Bob Rust, Oslo
published:
24 June 2005
The
internally announced changes at Crowley Maritime Corp put liner man John
Douglass at the head of Crowley's tugs and Rob Grune, a tanker man with
extensive tug experience, at the head of Crowley's Caribbean liner
operations.
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Rocky Smith |
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A third
key executive, Rockwell 'Rocky' Smith, the head of New Jersey-based Marine
Transport Lines, will keep Crowley's tankers as part of his portfolio but
loses third-party shipmanagement, including seven containerships and a big
chunk of the US military's Ready Reserve Force (RRF).
New contracts for management of the RRF are set to be awarded to US
companies at the end of July.
Crowley employees are promised more information on the changes in mid-July.
TradeWinds reported in today's print edition on rumours of a major internal
restructuring at the biggest US-flag shipowner. Crowley officials have not
responded to inquiries on the question in recent weeks and could not be
reached immediately.
But in an internal memo dated this week, Thomas Crowley, the chairman,
president and chief executive officer of the Oakland-based indicates that
the reshuffling of talent is in line with his cross-fertilising management
philosophy for the highly diversified company.
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John Douglass |
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"The new
organisation ... reinforces our talent-management philosophy of placing
highly effective managers in technically different businesses," Crowley
wrote. "We believe this strengthens the 'One Crowley' approach to our
diverse customer base."
Douglass, who now heads Puerto Rico and Caribbean liner services, moves from
Fort Lauderdale to Seattle to head a newly created business unit made up of
Crowley's ship assist and escort services, salvage, global contract
services, Alaska North Slope activities and not least third-party
shipmanagement including government contracting.
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Rob Grune |
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Going the
opposite direction is Grune, a former chartering manager at OMI who sailed
for Texaco as a deck officer. He has been heading ship assist and and escort
services in Seattle since 2001. In his new job heading Puerto Rico and
Caribbean services he will take on the title of senior vice president and
general manager, the same title the other two already hold according to
Crowley's website.
Smith, who has varied experience at Crowley since starting in 1981, went to
head up shipmanagement at Marine Transport Lines in New Jersey in 2001. When
Crowley bought the company the next year, he added responsibility for the
tankers of Crowley Petroleum Transport, which he had run in his previous
West Coast position. His duties will now cover tankers, tank farms and
Alaskan petroleum distribution but the announcement does not make clear
where he will serve.
Perhaps the biggest change will be the shipmanagement portfolio. The
announcment leaves unanswered the question about labour arrangements, as
four Crowley subsidiaries presently have various collective bargaining
agreements with different combinations of unions. Also unanswered is the
question of eligibility to manage RRF vessels for the US Maritime
Administration (MarAd). Sources in the government contracting industry
indicate that unless Crowley's subsidiaries maintain a number of independent
functions, they will lose eligibility.
In the last five-year assignment of RRF contracts, a whopping 26 vessels
went to companies that are now Crowley subsidiaries.
Crowley subsidiaries also manage five Lykes Lines containerships for CP
Ships and two First American Bulk Carriers containerships for P&O Nedlloyd.
