Crowley has signed a contract with VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula, USA, to build two LNG-powered ConRo ships.
Designed to travel at speeds of up to 22 knots and carry containers ranging in size from 20-foot standards to 53-foot-long high-capacity units, the vessels will also be able to transport hundreds of vehicles in enclosed weather-tight car decking.
The Commitment-class Jones Act ships, scheduled for delivery in second and fourth quarter 2017, will replace Crowley's towed triple-deck barge fleet which has served the trade continuously since the early 1970s.
The new double-hulled ConRo ships, which will be named 'El Coquí' and 'Taíno', have been designed by Singapore's Warstila Ship Design in conjunction with Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime. The ships have been designed to maximize the carriage of 102-inch-wide containers which offer the most cubic cargo capacity in the trade.
The ships will be 219.5 metres long, 32.3 metres wide, have a deep draught of 10 metres and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tonnes. Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400TEUs with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles. The main propulsion and auxiliary engines will be fueled with LNG.
Jensen will also provide construction management and supervision in the shipyard throughout the building phase.
The ships will meet or exceed all regulatory requirements and have CLEAN notation which requires limitation of operational emissions and discharges, as well as the Green Passport. Both are issued by classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV).
