Company with core fleet of ex-Bouchard vessels marks hiring milestone

Former Maritime Administrator RADM Mark H. Buzby, USN (Ret): “Our focus has been to build a team of professionals ‑ afloat and ashore ‑ who are focused on safety, efficient operations, and doing it right, no shortcuts.”

Jones Act tug and barge operator Rose Cay Maritime (RCM) has announced its 100th hire, even before celebrating its first anniversary. The company is backed by Rose Cay, an investment company that bought a group of the vessels sold in the Bouchard bankruptcy auction.

In its first year, says Rose Cay Maritime, it has led the return-to-service process of a fleet of laid-up vessels, which included 11 dry-dockings and work with eight U.S. shipyards.

“In just one year, our team has established a leading maritime logistics company poised to support the Energy Transition. Through hard work and perseverance, we acquired, refurbished, and relaunched a core fleet of U.S.-made, flagged, and crewed Jones Act vessels,” said Alex Parker, RCM’s managing partner. “Today, thanks to our employees, we are a trusted provider of safe and reliable transportation services to the world’s largest energy companies and governments. We will continuously strive to improve and harness our entrepreneurial prowess to provide critical energy infrastructure to America.”

“I am proud to be a part of the team that helped strengthen the U.S.-flagged fleet by bringing these Jones Act qualified vessels back into service,” said former Maritime Administrator RADM Mark H. Buzby, USN (Ret). “Our focus has been to build a team of professionals ‑ afloat and ashore ‑ who are focused on safety, efficient operations, and doing it right, no shortcuts. Building trust on the waterfront takes commitment and producing results; RCM’s outstanding people are making that happen every day.”

Rose Cay Maritime says it has “created a new paradigm for Jones Act shipping focused on safety, customer service, and environmental consciousness” and that “as the renewable fuels market becomes an increasingly important part of the U.S. Energy Transition process, reducing carbon emissions, [it] is working with its customers to transport cargoes on all three major U.S. Coasts, including from the Gulf Coast into end markets on the West Coast.

The RCM fleet has a concentration of vessels in New York Harbor, which, it say offers the most carbon efficient transportation mode as compared to truck or rail, to support regional energy distribution.

“We are very pleased to have partnered with the Rose Cay Maritime team to return our fleet to service at a time when the U.S. energy complex is in need of more reliable, environmentally conscious operators of coastwise vessels,” said Josh Trump, managing director at Contrarian Capital Management, financial sponsor of the RCM fleet. “With producers of biofuels increasingly in need of vessels to transport product across the country we are excited about the opportunity that lies ahead and Rose Cay’s ability to be the industry’s provider of choice.”

Among the former Bouchard ATB tugs included on the fleet listings on the RCM website are several that formerly bore the names of Bouchard family members, including the Anna Rose (ex-Jane A Bouchard) the Lynne M. Rose (ex-Kim M Bouchard) and the Jesse Rose (ex-Morton S Bouchard IV).