GAC & Griffin tie up in to offer 'door-to-deck' crew transportation

GLOBAL shipping, logistics and marine services group GAC and crew travel specialist Griffin are partnering up to establish a joint venture company, G2 Crew Services Ltd, to provide door-to-deck transportation services for joining crew.

The joint venture combines the expertise of Griffin, which coordinates the on-time arrival of 750,000 crew each year, with the local knowledge, contacts and resources of the GAC network covering more than 1,000 ports around the world, a statement said.

The JV aims to provide a total transportation package for crew members joining ships worldwide, including the "last mile" between their airport and vessel arrivals. A central control tower in Mumbai monitors the safe movement of crew and coordinates flight schedules, land transportation and vessels' ETAs to provide the best on-time arrival of joining crew at their final destination.

Griffin's HomePort concierge service provides 24/7 support to crew. Payment and cost control is simplified through a QuickBill sent within 7 days of the crew's arrival, detailing the cost of all services in a single currency, eliminating the need for 'prefunding' and the reconciliation with a 'final disbursement' account.

The broader crew rotation management service, which will be launched in February next year, will incorporate the new Homeport dashport. The IT system will enable clients to monitor all crew movements against their planned rotation and they will receive alerts confirming arrival times.