Advisors said it couldn't be done. Banks didn't want to lend the money. Even Mother Nature tossed a few curve balls. But, the wit and determination of Crowley's technical and petroleum services teams could not be stymied. Now, with a working fleet of eight Articulated Tug Barges (ATBs) and nine more under build contract, Crowley is taking domestic waterborne petroleum transportation to a whole new level of safety, efficiency and cost effectiveness. Captains can't wait to get their hands on these elite vessels, which Captain Buddy Davis refers to as a "convertible sports car with all the bells and whistles," and customers are willing to commit to multi-year charter agreements before the first piece of steel is laid. But, this wasn't always the case. The petroleum industry, which is quickly coming to grips with OPA 90 (Oil Pollution Act 1990) standards requiring the phase out of single hulled tankers and barges, has been scurrying to find new vessel tonnage to meet their requirements. Double-hull tankers are expensive and towed tank barges are too slow to be readily competitive and more apt to be impacted by weather and rough seas. Crowley's solution was to develop large, fast ATBs that operated like tankers, but delivered petroleum at a lower cost per barrel.
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