Hurricane Relief SEACOR, in addition to helping out in Puerto Rico and the USVI, deployed people in Florida and Texas to assist those impacted by the 2017 hurricanes.
Witt O’Brien’s/Len Kaufman
Tailored Applications Across Diverse Assets SEACOR’s ocean transportation and logistics businesses are one of the key links in the logistics supply chain that supports nearby Caribbean islands. Its vessels and those of its affiliate Trailer Bridge Inc. service the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico from Florida. The instant access to logistics experts and ability to source assets provides Witt-O’Brien’s cadre of emergency response specialists with a seamless opportunity to help island communities jump start their recovery effort. SEACOR’s asset base and knowledge facilitate delivering solutions customized for the impacted group of islands. SEACOR’s regional shipping line and logistics service linking South Florida to the Bahamas and Caribbean, SEACOR Island Lines, coordinated the first relief deliveries to the Islands, showing up with supplies for the USVI as soon as conditions permitted after Hurricane Irma. The Norma H was chartered-in by SEACOR and loaded with critical cargo sourced from Puerto Rico not yet hit by the storm. The supplies sourced by SEACOR personnel included lumber, tarps, generators, bottled water and canned food. After Hurricane Maria passed, a SEACOR owned asset, the Bahamas Express, designed to dock in areas where there is either a draft limitation, limited or no shore-side port infrastructure proved invaluable to support the initial deliveries of relief supplies and equipment necessary to repair critical infrastructure. The Bahamas Express remained active in the region supporting cargo operations for FEMA between the USVI and Puerto Rico through March 2018. Also in response to Hurricane Maria, Trailer Bridge, mobilized to take on relief cargoes. This Jones Act liner service with facilities in Jacksonville, FL, and San Juan, PR, has moved over 100 million pounds of relief goods, including thousands of specialized power restoration assets, containers of donated supplies for churches and schools, and equipment to support the rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The storm hit Trailer Bridge close to home. Trailer Bridge spent over $1 million insuring that the families of its 26 Puerto Rican based employees had a generator, fuel, water, food, and daily necessities so personnel could execute critical missions to support other families of Puerto Rico.
Trailer Bridge’s leadership coordinated closely with government agencies and nonprofits in their efforts to restore power and provide relief, including, but not limited to, FEMA, United States Coast Guard, United for Puerto Rico, United States Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation, and other local government municipalities, agencies, and churches in Puerto Rico. Trailer Bridge’s customers also pitched in with hundreds of shipments of goods. SEACOR also played a key role to keep Puerto Rico’s hospitals and other critical care centers supplied with diesel as the island utilized generators for months after the storms
If disaster strikes, we stand ready to help them respond and recover quicker and stronger hit. Leveraging available in-house assets and expertise, SEACOR provided a bespoke solution to FEMA transporting approximately 8 million gallons of diesel to the island and functioning as a floating fuel depot. The Fort Lauderdale operations group outfitted the SEA Power/SEA Chem-1, one of SEACOR’s tank vessels, with specialized connections and hoses enabling it to discharge directly into trucks. The vessel loaded 1,749 delivery vehicles directly in San Juan harbor for
onward distribution to essential service facilities and other in-need communities. Harnessing its uniquely wide network in the transportation and logistics space, SEACOR also helped to source third-party equipment such as helicopters, fast supply vessels, accommodation barges and other equipment. SEACOR’s former offshore marine division, SEACOR Marine Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SMHI), was able to support urgent requirements for restoring telecommunications by moving technicians and light vehicles and equipment with the group’s newest fast supply vessel, the Liam J McCall, covering the 1,500 miles from Tampa to San Juan at 25 knots in just under two and half days.
Powering Recovery In addition to the immediate need for food, water, and shelter in the wake of widespread natural disaster it is critical to restore power and communications. SEACOR’s clean energy subsidiary, CLEANCOR Energy Solutions, coordinated with Trailer Bridge for the delivery of water trucks that were necessary to quickly facilitate the delivery of potable water to citizens. CLEANCOR also delivered, installed, and maintained fleets of standby generators for customers in the USVI and Puerto Rico. Bibiana Ferraiuoli, President of the Ricky Martin Foundation, commented, “The Ricky Martin Foundation is more than grateful to CLEANCOR for their prompt response after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Maria and Irma in our beloved Puerto Rico. After natural disasters, children and youth are more vulnerable to exploitation. Hence, the generator that was installed and maintained by CLEANCOR in Centro
June 2018 // Marine Log 29