May 21 - Crowley has Maritime Corp has christened its latest heavy lift series deck barge 455-5 at Gunderson Marine Shipyard in Portland, Oregon.

The heavy lift barge is 400-feet long and 105-feet wide and will be used to transport the world's largest land-based drilling rig for Parker Drilling and BP.

Crowley has plans to build up to 13 of these high-capacity barges by 2013. The largest, already in operation in the US Gulf, measures 400 feet by 130 feet.

Construction of the 455-6, the next barge in the series, is currently underway and is expected to be delivered by Gunderson this summer.