One of Rhode Island’s greenest office buildings lies in the shadow of the State House, on Providence’s Smith Hill, and started more than 70 years ago.

Moran Shipping Agencies, Inc. is a family-owned business that was founded in Providence 72 years ago, by James Moran, and has grown to be the largest privately owned steamship agency in the United States. In late fall 2008, it moved its world headquarters back to the city where it all began.

A world leader in the maritime industry and an ISO 9001:2000 certified company, Moran Shipping is a steamship agency and maritime consulting firm to many of the world’s most prominent ship owners, operators and charters. It is a global leader in servicing vessels –- crude, LNG, LPG, cruise and container -- throughout the Americas, and prides itself on offering vessel attendance policies ensuring fast, accurate handling of all details for ships. Some of those important details include expediting their arrival and departure, loading and unloading cargo and all ship operations in port, such as ship repair, medical needs and cargo disposition.

Today, Moran’s world headquarters -– with its financial, accounting, IT and administrative operations -– are located on Providence’s Francis Street, in a remediated medical office building that is now working towards the first Silver LEED certification of a commercial application in Rhode Island. Complying with the rigorous historic preservation standards has been challenging, but Moran’s leadership is committed to the effort.

Today, Moran Shipping has more than 150 full time employees in 22 offices in the United States and Europe, and provides assistance at more than 100 ports along the East, Gulf and West Coasts for all sizes and types of vessels.