Carrying the supply chain forward
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
FLORIDA TRADE AND LOGISTICS
Tampa Bay’ s port channel will be dredged from 43 feet to 47 feet at a cost of $ 1.1 billion. The project is expected to take up to six years to complete.
To remain competitive, the port needs to deepen its channel to handle larger ships, Anderson said; $ 10 million was allocated in the recent Army Corps budget for the first phase of planning, engineering and design. This includes $ 3 million through community project funding requests in fiscal year 2026 to advance Phase 1, and $ 7 million in general-use funding through the USACE. Both were secured by Rep. Kathy Castor, with USACE funding further backed by the Florida Congressional Delegation.
“ The channel deepening is one of the most challenging things any port has to do because you literally have to start with an act of Congress,” Anderson said.“ But it’ s historic and will have a lasting, generational impact on the future operations and capabilities of Port Tampa Bay.”
Environmental efforts
Florida’ s ports and maritime-related businesses are actively implementing sustainability measures, such as emissions reduction, clean truck programs, water protection and Green
Marine program certifications. Port Tampa Bay uses brownfield designations to redevelop and replace older industrial sites, including remediation of contaminated soils. Port Everglades was recently recognized by the North American Marine Environment Protection Association for its Maritime Sustainability Passport Program.
Crowley has continued to invest in sustainability, as well. Throughout 2025, the company placed four liquefied natural gas( LNG)-powered cargo vessels into service: Torogoz, Tiscapa, Copan and Quetzal. Each is part of the company’ s new Avance Class of ships and has a 1,400-TEU capacity.
These vessels were specifically designed to accommodate a variety of container sizes, including 300 refrigerated container unit plugs, and build on Crowley’ s commitment to advancing LNG as a vessel fuel as the industry transitions away from fossil fuels.
“ Our new Avance Class fleet significantly strengthens our ability to provide faster, more reliable and higher-capacity service across US, Central America and Caribbean trade lanes,” Davis said.
“ These LNG-fueled vessels were purpose-built to improve schedule consistency, support more frequent sailings and move a wider mix of cargo, including dry goods, refrigerated cargo and time-sensitive shipments, such as food, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies,” he added.“ The ships enable customers to better plan inventories while supporting growing trade volumes.”
From an operational standpoint, the Avance Class also gives Crowley greater flexibility and scalability in how it deploys assets as customer needs evolve, Davis said.
“ Collectively, the four-vessel class enhances supply chain resilience for customers by combining modern technology, consistent service and longterm investment in the trades we have served for decades,” he noted.
Shaping the industry’ s future
A key challenge for the maritime industry in Florida and beyond is that, despite plentiful employment opportunities, the candidate pool remains limited. As experienced workers retire, younger employees are not entering the workforce quickly enough to replace them. Currently, approximately 27 % of US maritime industry employees are 55 and older.
Carrying the supply chain forward
As a global supply chain solutions leader, Crowley offers more than service lines and full-service logistics management, with global operations connecting the United States to the Caribbean and Central America.
Backed by a team of seasoned experts, Crowley combines industry-leading technology with a full suite of scalable, end-to-end services to create efficient, repeatable results.
Crowley’ s origin, in-transit and destination services include ocean, air and inland cargo transportation; truck brokerage; cargo insurance; customs compliance; dry and refrigerated warehousing and distribution; freight forwarding and consolidation / deconsolidation services; and FTZ capabilities.
The business is a consultative partner for customers seeking to optimize their supply chains while aligning capabilities to fulfill their demands. Crowley leverages its global, blended asset services to reduce friction while gaining speed to market for goods. With more than 45,000 pieces of ocean-going cargo-carrying equipment and a diversified fleet of container vessels, partners enjoy frequent, reliable, fixed-day weekly sailings, reaching many markets in just over two days.
Crowley employs technology at its owned-and-operated terminals to increase efficiency by decreasing the amount of time it takes trucking partners to enter and leave with cargo. Additionally, as an asset-based Jones Act carrier, Crowley can employ a“ Blue Water Highway” service to bypass road and rail crowding to move equipment by sea along the East Coast.
Crowley is a privately held, US-owned and operated maritime, energy and logistics solutions company. For more than 130 years, its portfolio of businesses has provided innovative ocean and land transportation services for the commercial and government sectors. As a global ship owner and operator, Crowley serves 36 nations and island territories and is one of the leading employers of US mariners.
Our world is in constant motion, and Crowley is helping to carry it forward.
50 Journal of Commerce | June 1, 2026 www. joc. com