By Troy Turner
Waterman Transport Inc., based in Mobile, is among more than two dozen transportation and shipping companies across the U.S. winning a portion of an estimated $750 million contract, the Department of Defense announced.
Waterman is part of the SEACOR family, and both names have a history of filling contracts for the military.
“The contract provides international ocean transportation; and intermodal, time definite, port-to-port and door-to-door transportation service using ocean common, or contract carriers offering regularly scheduled commercial service; including shipment of both containerized and breakbulk cargo,” the DOD reported.
“This contract is to obtain commercial port operations and related transportation services in locations outside the continental U.S.”
Waterman is a longtime shipping company experienced in transporting equipment such as armored vehicles and other supplies, while SEACOR has worked to diversify its various companies and operations into a wide array of services surrounding and beyond the transportation and logistics fields.
Waterman in 2018 transported two armored brigades across the Pacific, according to company statements. “On a roundtrip voyage to Busan, South Korea, SEACOR PCTC M/V GREEN COVE delivered more than 20,000 metric tons of military cargo, including 150 M-1 Abrams tanks and nearly 300 M-2/M-3 Bradleys safely and ahead of schedule.”
Its history in Alabama’s port city dates back more than a century.
“From ambitious beginnings in Mobile, Alabama, that began with one vessel and one man’s vision, Waterman grew to become one of the largest shipping lines in the U.S. by mid-century,” its website states.
“An outward-looking man, John B. Waterman formed the Waterman Steamship Company in the belief that the city’s fortunes depended on the expansion of its port. Under his leadership both port and company grew, underpinning the local economy and preparing it for a central role in supporting the war effort during World War II.”
The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting agency for the most recent contract, with work expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2025.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant of AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected].
(Photo above: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kyle Larsen, 2019.)
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