Rum Rescue Calls Out to Captain Morgan ; TITAN Salvage's
and Crowley Maritime's Herculean Efforts get Shipment to
Safety
By PRNewswire
11/19/2009
PENNSAUKEN, N.J., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Captain Morgan
abandoned rehearsals for a very a special music awards event on
the west coast to welcome to safety a barge containing 90,000
gallons of his finest rum that is to be used in his latest line
extension, Captain Morgan Lime Bite Rum. Crowley Maritime's
580-foot-long barge La Princesa had fallen victim to last
week's Nor'easter and remnants of Hurricane Ida, which raced up
the coast and combined to generate over 25-foot seas and
45+-mile-per-hour winds. The vessel became stranded on the
shores of Sandbridge, Virginia Beach when both of its tow wires
parted from the 136-foot ocean-going tugboat, Sentry, which had
been traveling up the East Coast and was approximately 140
miles from its destination. Any excessive delay or damage to
the Captain Morgan rum inventory may have significantly
impacted the rollout of this new product.
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The TITAN Salvage crew of Crowley Maritime successfully re-
floated the barge La Princesa off Sandbridge beach at 7:48 a.m.
Wednesday morning. The crews used two tugs pulling together on
the bow and stern of the barge at high tide to free it. The
barge, which broke free from the Sentry on the evening of
November 12th, grounded on the beach near Little Island Pier
Friday morning, November 13th. The Crowley and TITAN Salvage
personnel worked together to remove the barge from the beach
while ensuring the safety of the public and environment. The
American Bureau of Shipping and all necessary government
response teams surveyed the vessel to ensure it was safe before
heading to its destination port in Pennsauken, N.J. under the
direction of Sentry's 32-year veteran Capt. Elijah Seals.
"I knew that the best crew in the world would be made
available to salvage this battle of wills against Mother
Nature," said Captain Morgan. "90,000 gallons? That is 425,000
bottles of Captain Morgan Lime Bite that would have never made
it to the store shelves over the holidays and enjoyed with a
mixer or to liven up a domestic beer. Whether it is the
Nor'easter of the decade or the storm of the century, Captain
Morgan is there to battle, support and guard over the world's
most popular spiced rum so that all my friends of legal
drinking age can appreciate its joys like I do, in a very
responsible manner."
"The quick resolution of this situation was a testament to
the professionalism and teamwork displayed by TITAN, Crowley,
the Coast Guard, and all the first responders in Virginia
Beach," said Rob Grune, Crowley's senior vice president and
general manager of Puerto Rico and Caribbean services. "After
ensuring the safety of the public, the environment, the vessel
and its cargo, our priority was to get our customers' cargoes
to their destinations as quickly as possible - including
Captain Morgan's rum. Communication with all our customers was
constant to ensure they knew what was happening with the
operation every step of the way."
The Captain Morgan Rum is now situated at Crowley's Petty's
Island Terminal located in the Delaware River directly across
from Philadelphia and is getting ready to be shipped to its
plant in Relay, Maryland. The oak aged rum is transported
across the Atlantic Ocean to its final bottling destination in
20-foot and 40-foot tanks with 6,800 gallons or more
capacity.
"Some diligent commitment by all parties brought forth a
success story for everybody, especially for my bottling team in
Relay, Maryland who were greatly anticipating this important
shipment to meet our supplier deadlines," said Diageo-Relay
Plant Manager Rick Robinson. "We are very thankful to all the
Crowley Maritime team for their world class professionalism and
seamanship in getting this shipment to its destination in the
safest manner possible."
Unconfirmed stories about Petty's Island go back to
Elizabeth Kinsey, a Quaker, who acquired the island from
Lenni-Lenape Indians in the late 17th century and later
transferred the property to William Penn. Petty's Island has
had a long and colorful history; indeed it's been home to a
slave depot and possibly even pirates. The island takes its
name from John Petty who owned it around the time of the
American Revolution. During the 19th century schooners were
built here and a summer resort flourished before industrial
operations took root in the early 1900s.
According to documents kept by the Camden Historical
Society, it was the property of the Lenape Indians until 1678,
when a Quaker woman bought it for $240 and annual payments of
16 barrels of gunpowder and 16 barrels of rum. It was later
owned by William Penn, and it received Benjamin Franklin on his
first trip to Philadelphia. At times, Petty's Island was a
place for parties, duels, slave ships and, on at least one
occasion, a lynching.
Whether you're saving a marooned barge or simply marooned at
the bar, Captain Morgan reminds consumers to drink responsibly.
Captain's Orders!
About Diageo
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks
business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol
brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands
include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys,
Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu
Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.
Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180
countries around the world. The company is listed on both the
New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange
(DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands,
and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Celebrating life,
every day, everywhere, responsibly.
About Crowley
Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company
of the 117-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a
privately held family and employee-owned company. The company
provides diversified transportation and logistics services in
domestic and international markets by means of six operating
lines of business: Puerto Rico/ Caribbean Liner Services, Latin
America Liner Services, Logistics Services, Petroleum Services,
Marine Services and Technical Services. Offered within these
operating lines of business are the following services: liner
container shipping, logistics, contract towing and
transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage
and emergency response through its TITAN Salvage subsidiary;
vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture
through its Jensen Maritime subsidiary; government services,
and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and
sales. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries
and business units may be found on the Internet at
www.crowley.com
Contacts:
Greg Leonard
Diageo
646-223-2111
Greg.Leonard@diageo.com
SOURCE Captain Morgan
Originally published by Captain Morgan.
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