Keystone Shipping Company
American transportation and logistics company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Keystone Shipping Company is an American shipping and transportation company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company operates a fleet of ships for both dry bulk cargo and tankers.
Keystone Shipping Company's R/S RocketShip in 2019 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1919 |
| Founder | Charles Kurz |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Donald Kurz, Donald Kurz Jr. |
| Services | Transportation, logistics |
| Website | www |
Keystone Shipping Company has a fleet of over 20 ships. The fleet consists of: tankers, dry bulk ships, tugboats, tank barges, and roll-on/roll-off ships. Keystone Shipping Company tanker fleet transports crude oil and other petroleum products to both coasts in the United States.[1]
History
Foundation and early years
Keystone Shipping Company was founded by Charles Kurz.
Since World War I, the Keystone Shipping Company has been active in the worldwide support of the United States Armed Forces. Keystone Shipping Company is part of the Ready Reserve Fleet program. Before Keystone Shipping Company, Charles Kurz was a shipping agent, commodities trader, and ship owner. Keystone Shipping Company headquarters is in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.[2]
World War II
Keystone Shipping Company was a major tanker operator during World War II. Keystone Shipping Company operated a fleet of tankers for the War Shipping Administration. Keystone Shipping Company operated Type T2 tankers and other tankers. Keystone Shipping Company operated for the war a fleet of over 60 tankers. Each Keystone Shipping Company had a merchant crew of about 9 officers and 39 men.
- Charles Kurz became the head of the War Shipping Administration (WSA) during World War II, in addition to operating ships.
- Some ships operated for World War II:
- SS Santee[3]
- Christopher L. Sholes[4]
- Charles A. Wickliffe[5]
- Andrew A. Humpreys[6]
- Henry L. Ellsworth[7]
- Thomas F. Cunningham[8]
- David Holmes
- S.S. Seakay
- Oscar F. Barrett[9]
- Oscar S. Straus[9]
- Bennington[10]
- Bunker Hill[10]
Key Lakes
Key Lakes, Inc. of Duluth, Minnesota is a subsidiary of Keystone Shipping Company operating on the Great Lakes with 20 ships. Key Lakes operated tankers, dry bulk ships, tugboats, tank barges, and roll-on/roll-off ships.[11][12]
Alaska Tanker Company
The Alaska Tanker Company was founded in 1999 by Keystone Shipping Company, OSG America Operating Company, and BP Oil Shipping Company.[13][14][15] Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (NYSE: OSG) purchased all the shares of Alaska Tanker Company on March 12, 2020, and it is now a subsidiary of Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. of Tampa.[16] Alaska Tanker Company transports Alaskan crude oil with four 190,000-ton tankers. The company is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon.[17]
Ships:[18]
- Alaska Explorer
- Alaska Frontier
- Alaska Legend
- Alaska Navigator
Keystone Shipping Company ships
- MV Cape Kennedy (T-AKR-5083)
- SS Denebola (T-AKR-289)
- RS RocketShip
- SS Denebola (T-AKR-289)
- MV Cape Knox (T-AKR-5082)
- MV Cape Kennedy (T-AKR-5083)
- USNS Potomac (T-AO-181)
- MV Roger Blough
- Some Past ships
- SS Chancellorsville T2[19]
- SS Fredericksburg (1958) 1976–2004
- SS Murfreesboro T2[19]
- SS Perryville T2[19]
- SS Pueblo T2[19]
- Birch Coulie[10]
- Oakley Wood[9]
- Henry C. Wallace[7]
- New Zealand Victory[20]
- David Holmes[21]
- Alan Seeger[6]
- Little Big Horn[22]
- Fort Capot River[23]
- MV Sea Isle City
- SS Bridgeton
- USS Saugatuck