History

We are proudly celebrating over 80 years of steamship agency excellence.

From our humble beginnings in Providence, Rhode Island in 1937, to becoming the largest independent steamship agency in North America today, we could not have achieved this without the support of our loyal and valued clients, our superb vendors, and our dedicated employees who continually strive to give their best each and every day.

To all those who have contributed to our success, you have our sincere gratitude.

Key Milestones

Here are some key milestones in our history

1937

Moran Shipping Agencies Formed

From humble beginnings, James Moran founds the agency in Providence, Rhode Island

1940

Early expansion of offices in North East

Expanded and successfully established additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine

1959

Founder James Moran Passes Away

1970

Robert Black Aquires Ownership

Starts an earnest effort to build Moran into a national shipping agency

1974

James Black joins Moran

Providing the organization with his operational and marketing expertise

1974

Houston, TX Office opens

James Black is instrumental in opening the Houston office

1975

Opens more offices in Texas

Opening of Moran-Thibodeaux in Houston, TX shortly followed by offices in Port Arthur and Corpus Christi

1976

Kurz-Moran partnership in New York

Kurz-Moran of New York was formed in partnership with the Charles Kurz Company

1982

Michael Black join his brothers

Michael Black working in an administrative and sales capacity from Moran's Headquarters in Rhode Island.

1982

Continued Expansion Across the Gulf

Jim continued Moran’s expansion across the U.S. Gulf throughout the 80’s, including the opening of offices in key ports such as New Orleans, LA, Galveston, TX, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, FL.

1990

Moran acquires Patterson & Wilde Steamship Agency

Moran acquired ownership of Boston based Patterson & Wilde Steamship Agency and full ownership of Kurz-Moran Agencies in New York/New Jersey and Philadelphia.

1995

A decade of continued Office Expansion

Over the ensuing years and into the 21st century, Moran has continued to opened offices in strategic markets to meet our clients’ needs. With additional locations in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

1995

Moran-Pacific Established on West Coast

With the establishment of Moran-Pacific on the West Coast, the company now has 20 full service offices directly serving over 100 ports in North America.

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