Transportation and logistics company Crowley Maritime Corp. has begun shipping 32,000 utility poles from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico that will be used to restore power on the island.
The island has been without power since Hurricane Maria struck two months ago. Ninety-five percent of the power will be restored by March, José Sánchez, head of the Army Corps of Engineers in Puerto Rico, estimated.
Crowley will deliver monthly shipments of 35-, 40- and 70-foot wooden, concrete or galvanized steel poles.
It has added seven flat-deck barges which increase capacity by 67 percent. During November and December, Crowley will offer 6,200 commercial cargo slots monthly.
“The people of Puerto Rico are steadily rebuilding their infrastructure, and we are adding capacity and services to assist them,” Frank Larkin, Crowley senior vice president and general manager of logistics and commercial services, said. “As the supply chain mission changes, in this case, to include breakbulk utility poles, our focus adapts to provide the logistics solutions to fulfill the needs of our government and commercial customers.”
A second series of shipments could increase the number of poles to between 65,000-70,000.
Crowley has approximately 300 employees in Puerto Rico. When the shipments reach shore, they are transported via a fleet of more than 375 trucks by Crowley Logistics.