Crowley, JAXPORT awarded grant to make terminal more sustainable

Crowley and the Port of Jacksonville, Fla. (JAXPORT), have been awarded a federal grant that will support a $14.6 million project to reduce emissions and add electric-power equipment at Crowley’s terminal.

The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded the grant under the Port Infrastructure Development Program. The funding will pay 50 percent of the cost, with Crowley matching 50 percent through JAXPORT’s initiative, named JAXPORT EXPRESS.

At Crowley’s terminal, the project will add nearly two dozen zero-emissions equipment for cargo handling, including specialty yard tractors and forklifts, as well as related charging stations for Crowley’s supply chain services. The grant also supports the addition of 160 refrigerated cargo charging stations (reefer plugs) to sustainability meet current and future growth needs at the port without using diesel as fuel. These emissions reduction efforts build upon Crowley’s investments increasing the efficiency and sustainability of the Puerto Rico trade by deploying liquified natural gas (LNG) ships, four forthcoming LNG-fueled ships for the U.S.-Central America trade, and a state-of-the-art LNG bunkering facility at the terminal.

The total grant award at JAXPORT is a $23.5 million grant to enhance sustainability initiatives at the port's Blount Island and Talleyrand marine terminals. Additional funding will support a $31.2 million purchase of new eco-friendly cargo handling equipment for the SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal (JCT) at Blount Island.

JAXPORT CEO Eric Green commented: "This investment marks a significant milestone in our initiatives to build the port of the future and move cargo in the most efficient and eco-friendly way possible."

Equipment purchased through the EXPRESS project will be Buy America-compliant, spurring further investment into the growth of America's zero-emissions manufacturing capabilities.

Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned and -operated maritime, energy and logistics solutions company serving commercial and government sectors with more than $2.9 billion in annual revenues, over 170 vessels mostly in the Jones Act fleet and approximately 7,000 employees around the world – employing more U.S. mariners than any other company. The Crowley enterprise has invested more than $3 billion in maritime transport, which is the backbone of global trade and the global economy. As a global ship owner-operator and services provider with more than 130 years of innovation and a commitment to sustainability, the company serves customers in 36 nations and island territories through five business units: Crowley Logistics, Crowley Shipping, Crowley Solutions, Crowley Wind Services and Crowley Fuels.