VT Halter Marine, a subsidiary of VT Systems, has officially begun construction on the first of two LNG-fuelled combination container/Ro-Ro (Con-Ro) ships for Crowley's liner services group.
VT Halter Marine and Crowley entered into a contract for the pair of ships in late-2013, with construction beginning with the first steel plate cutting at VT Halter Marine's Mississippi shipyard.
The Commitment-class ships have been designed to maximise the carriage of 53-foot containers and will be able to carry approximately 2,400 TEUs with additional space for 400 vehicles in an enclosed Ro-Ro hold.
The 26,500DWT ships will measure 219.5 metres in length, 32.3 metres wide, and have a deep draught of 10 metres.
Designed by Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime, in conjunction with a Singapore-based naval architect, the vessels' main propulsion and auxiliary engines will be fuelled by LNG.
The Jones Act ships will replace Crowley's towed triple-deck barge fleet, which has served the trade continuously and since the early 1970s.
The new ships will be named 'El Coqui' and 'Taino'. Delivery is scheduled for the second and fourth quarters of 2017.