Following World War II, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico began benefiting from the generous tax breaks given to U.S. companies in exchange for building manufacturing plants on the island.  This was done in an effort to afford opportunity to Puerto Ricans who were otherwise fleeing to the states to pursue the American dream.  The economy began a growth spurt despite its limited natural resources thanks to the introduction of these U.S. manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, electronics, textiles, petrochemicals, processed foods, clothing and textiles.  All of these now comprise the major industries in Puerto Rico. Seeing the opportunity and promise of Puerto Rico, Crowley entered the trade less than 10 years later – in September of 1954 as its predecessor TMT Trailer Ferry launched the first U.S.-flag ocean Ro/Ro service between ports in the South Atlantic and San Juan.  While a far cry from where the service is today, this simple yet efficient transport of 20-foot containers would be the building block of the company’s continued service 60 years later. Since that time, and despite the trending uncertainty of Puerto Rico’s economy, the company has continued to provide uninterrupted service, infrastructure and fleet investments, and community support.  In fact, Crowley is one of only four major, U.S. flag, ocean carriers that services the commonwealth. Together, these four – Crowley, Sea Star, Horizon Lines and Trailer Bridge bring the essentials to the island and its 3.65 million residents. “Puerto Rico only produces about 20 percent of what it consumes; everything else is imported,” said Enrique Fugueroa, Crowley’s director of human resources and labor relations in San Juan.   And that’s specifically where carriers like Crowley come in.  The barges may have gotten bigger, the container fleet more substantial, the process more sophisticated and technologically advanced but the premise today is the same as it was in 1954, create a land bridge that connects the island of Puerto Rico to the mainland of the U.S. while also supplying services to close the loop on the supply chain for all points in between.   In 2014, long gone are Crowley’s converted war surplus landing ship tanks (LSTs) and seatrucks with a capacity of only 37 trailers and autos.  Also gone are the 400-foot, single-deck barges that were large by comparison with a capacity of 90 trailers per voyage.  They’ve all been replaced, through evolution of the fleet, by mammoth, 580 and 730-foot, triple deck “super” barges that barely fit width-wise through the Panama canal.  And while these barges have certainly served the trade well since their introduction in the late 1970s, Crowley is revolutionizing the fleet again as an additional nod to its commitment to Puerto Rico. Just last year, the company announced plans for two, new LNG-powered combination container and roll-on/roll-off (ConRo) ships which it is naming El Coqui and Taino, marking the beginning of a new and aptly named, Commitment Class of vessels.  The vessels will have a capacity of 2,400 TEUs and close to 400 automobiles which will be loaded onto enclosed, weather-tight car decking along with oversized/out-of-gauge cargo and heavy equipment. “We are excited about this investment,” said John Hourihan senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Puerto Rico/Caribbean services. “There have been some questions around the challenge that the current Puerto Rico market presents, but ultimately, it is a market that will have to be served well into the future, and it is one we are committed to serving as we have for over 60 years.”    Crowley’s ships and barges aren’t the only things growing; their services have expanded as well.  Following a series of on-island acquisitions over the last four years, Crowley began offering complete less-than-container load (LCL) services to Puerto Rico and doubled the size of its distribution center in Guaynabo to accommodate the island’s growing retail customers.  Then more recently, reclassified a portion of that distribution center as a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). In 2013, the U.S. Census Department reported that shipments from the U.S. to Puerto Rico (southbound) by vessel were valued over $11.5 billion and together had a shipping weight over 3.6 billion kilograms.  Northbound from Puerto Rico into the U.S., cargo by vessel, was valued at about $24.7 million and weighted over 600 million kilograms.  These numbers show a strong imbalance in north and southbound trade and are a decline over steady 2012 and 2011 numbers which were about $12 billion southbound and just over $26 billion northbound for both years.  This is all in addition to dismal financial results from the government itself.  A quarterly report from Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico (GDB) released on July 17, 2013 reports that “the Commonwealth faces a number of fiscal economic challenges and its liquidity has been adversely affected by recent events.” Additionally, the island reportedly has nearly $73 billion in public debt and has had its credit rating downgraded to junk status. Despite the relentlessness of the numbers, and while the trade has seen its fair share of carriers and freight forwarders come and go, the strong ones are still standing.  While Crowley is celebrating a major milestone, other carriers in the trade are reaffirming their commitment as well.  In February, Seastar (TOTE Inc.) watched as construction began on its Marlin Class, LNG-powered containerships at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. The two new ships are being built to serve the Jacksonville, Fla., to Puerto Rico lane starting in the fourth quarter of 2015.  Overall, the company reports that is has reinvested over $125 million between 2004 and 2010 to “update our vessels, equipment, employee development, facilities and technology.” Regardless of the changing economy in Puerto Rico or the outlook moving forward, what’s clear for now is that the major carriers are in it for the long haul and will continue to make service improvements to that end.  According to GDB, the commonwealth’s main trading partner continues to be the U.S. accounting for 58 percent of the total trade – a positive for these Jones Act carriers.