Thursday, May 21, 2015

Crowley Acquires Maritime Management Services

By Mark Edward Nero

Crowley Maritime on May 19 said that it is acquiring Maritime Management Services (MMS), a 10-year-old, Seattle-based company that specializes in crew management for offshore oil and gas vessels.

MMS offers crewmembers’ services such as visas, flag-state and immigration documentation; crewmember certifications, including Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STWC) and client or operational area requirements; logistics, administrative and travel support.

In addition to MMS’ Seattle headquarters, the organization also has a secondary location in Singapore.

“What sets MMS apart from others in the industry is their level of customer service and crewmember loyalty,” Mike Golonka, vice president of ship management for Crowley said. “Together Crowley Accord and MMS can offer total crewing solutions, from single hires and full crew management through complete technical management to the oil and gas industry.”

MMS was founded in 2005 and was acquired by Crowley following the unexpected death of former owner Trevor Stabbert. The group, comprised of eight employees, celebrated its 10th anniversary of service in April.

The addition of MMS to Crowley’s international ship management division, which provides commercial ship management as well as technical management and government contracting, is expected to further strengthen the company’s global reach in the ship management industry, and allows the company to service a wider variety of international and domestic customers.