After a successful trial, Crowley expands contract with Xvela for collaborative stowage planning

Oakland, CA -  Xvela, the world’s first maritime business network for ocean carriers and terminal operators, has announced that Crowley Maritime Corp. has expanded its relationship with Xvela for its users throughout Central America, the Caribbean and the Southeastern United States. Crowley selected Xvela for stowage planning and to help them work more efficiently while providing greater visibility to maximize its quality of service and redoubling its commitment to vessel safety.

In addition to operating a sizeable fleet of vessels, Crowley also operates several terminals. This hybrid operating structure makes visibility and communication across functions particularly important. Effective stowage planning is a crucial component of a successful port call and impacts every aspect of terminal operations. To support strong inter- and intra-organizational collaboration, Crowley turned to Xvela’s collaborative stowage planning tool. Following a successful trial in its Southern Zone region, which includes services between the U.S. East Coast and Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Crowley became a full Xvela customer and is already beginning to see improved stowage efficiency and accuracy on both the terminal and carrier sides. For instance, Crowley’s terminal in San Juan, Puerto Rico was recently able to get a stowage plan approved, with zero revisions, on their first attempt—a rare feat and one that will allow Crowley to eliminate rework on stowage and speed up the stowage process.“By implementing Xvela, we hope to demonstrate the success of sharing operational data between users and want to be part of a change in the industry to produce visibility through all trade lanes at all terminal sizes,” said Andrew Black, a Crowley business solutions architect. “We believe Xvela could help us eventually collaborate with both small and larger terminals on a single platform to better serve our voyages.”

Currently, Crowley uses Navis’ MACS3 loading computer and will integrate Xvela into the platform for vessel planning and lashing. As safety is a top priority for Crowley, they will also be using Xvela for hazard checks throughout voyages.

“Sharing data in real-time helps users better plan and communicate with stakeholders for optimal operations and voyages,” said Sumitha Sampath, Vice President of Operations, Xvela. “By partnering with Crowley, we will be able to provide both its vessels and terminals the visibility and collaborative capability necessary to provide customers with superior service and differentiate Crowley in the market.”