Crowley's newest LNG-powered containership sails on maiden commercial voyage

Crowley Maritime Corporation's newest LNG-powered container vessel Quetzal has successfully begun its inaugural commercial voyage.

The ship belongs to a new class of container vessels that operate between the US, Central America, and the Dominican Republic.

With capacity for up to 1,400 TEUs, Quetzal and its three forthcoming sister ships in the same series will provide more cargo capacity while using lower-emission LNG for fuel.

Quetzal and its sisters were specifically designed to accommodate a variety of container sizes, including up to 300 refrigerated containers.

Crowley said the new containership series is uniquely suited to quickly transport perishable goods such as food and pharmaceuticals, as well as retail products, apparel, breakbulk cargo and other essential items.

Quetzal initiated service on April 11 at 12 at the Port of Santo Tomás in Guatemala.

Quetzal was built by HD Hyundai Mipo of South Korea. Crowley expects all ships in the class to enter service within this year.

The ships will be owned by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping and will be operated under long-term charters with Crowley.