Thu 22 Oct 2015 11:38

ConRo ship has LNG storage tanks installed


Tanks will be able to store more than enough LNG fuel for two round trips between Florida and Puerto Rico.



Construction of the first of two liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered, combination container roll-on/roll-off (ConRo) ships for Crowley Maritime Corporation's liner services group reached another important milestone last week, with the installation of three LNG fuel tanks.

The double-walled, stainless steel tanks, which are 110 feet in length and 20.6 feet in diameter, weigh 225 metric tonnes and are able to hold more than enough LNG fuel for two round-trip voyages between the vessel's future ports of call - Jacksonville, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"While we are all excitedly watching these ships take shape, we are particularly proud of the role we, as a company, are playing to bring the most modern, technologically advanced and environmentally friendly ConRo ships in the world to the Jones Act market of Puerto Rico," said Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO. "There are no other ships of their kind being built anywhere else in the world today, and they are being constructed right here at home - in the United States of America. Having that shipbuilding capability here is essential to our national defense and an important reason we as a country need the Jones Act to be maintained and strengthened."

The Jones Act is a federal statute that provides for the promotion and maintenance of a strong American merchant marine. It requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-flag ships constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.

Crowley's two Jones Act ships, which are to be named El Coquí and Taíno, are currently under construction at VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of VT Systems, Inc. The ceremonial first steel plate cutting was celebrated with a ceremony held at VT Halter in October 2014. El Coquí and Taíno are scheduled for delivery second and fourth quarter 2017 respectively.

"It's very impressive to see these new state-of-the-art Commitment Class ships take shape," said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico services. "Seeing those LNG tanks being placed into El Coquí really resonates with me because we are setting a new standard for environmentally responsible shipping."

The Commitment-class ships have been designed to maximize the carriage of 53-foot, 102-inch-wide containers, which offer the most cubic cargo capacity in the trade. The ships will be 219.5 metres long, 32.3 meters wide (beam), have a deep draft of 10 meters, and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tonnes. Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles in an enclosed ro/ro garage. The main propulsion and auxiliary engines will be fuelled by environmentally friendly LNG. The ship design is provided by Wartsila Ship Design in conjunction with Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime, a Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm.

"These new ships will offer customers fast ocean transit times, while accommodating the company's diverse equipment selection and cargo handling flexibility - benefits customers have enjoyed for over 60 years," said Hourihan.

Designing, building and operating LNG-powered vessels is very much in line with Crowley's overall 'EcoStewardship' positioning and growth strategy. The company formed an LNG services group last year to bring together the company's resources to provide LNG vessel design and construction management; transportation; product sales and distribution, and full-scale, project management solutions.

Image: Crowley LNG-powered combination container roll-on/roll-off (ConRo) ship.


The Buffalo 404 barge, owned by Buffalo Marine Service Inc., performing a bunker delivery. TFG Marine installs first ISO-certified mass flow meter on US Gulf bunker barge  

Installation marks expansion of company's digitalisation programme across global fleet.

Sogestran's fuel supply vessel, the Anatife, at the port of Belle-Île-en-Mer. Sogestran's HVO-powered tanker achieves 78% CO2 reduction on French island fuel runs  

Small tanker Anatife saves fuel while supplying Belle-Île and Île d'Yeu.

Crowley 1,400 TEU LNG-powered containership, Tiscapa. Crowley deploys LNG-powered boxship Tiscapa for Caribbean and Central American routes  

Vessel is the third in company's Avance Class fleet to enter service.

The inland LNG bunker vessel LNG London. LNG London completes 1,000 bunkering operations in Rotterdam and Antwerp  

Delivery vessel reaches milestone after five years of operations across ARA hub.

The M.V. COSCO Shipping Yangpu, China's first methanol dual-fuel containership. COSCO vessel completes maiden green methanol bunkering at Yangpu  

China's first methanol dual-fuel containership refuels with green methanol derived from urban waste.

Carsten Ladekjær, CEO of Glander International Bunkering. Glander International Bunkering reports stable performance amid regulatory changes  

Bunker trader achieves $3bn turnover and $22m pre-tax earnings for fiscal 2024-25.

Map of the Mediterranean Sea ULSFO demand surges in Med as ECA compliance drives fuel shift  

KPI OceanConnect reports accelerating ULSFO uptake across the region.

The Zale performing a bunker delivery. Monjasa reports Singapore as top bunker supply port with over 1 MMT delivered  

Supplier says world's largest bunkering hub became its biggest supply location in 2024.

Steel cutting ceremony for the 7,999 DWT chemical bunker tanker Lucia Cosulich at Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in China. Fratelli Cosulich begins construction of second methanol-ready bunker tanker  

Italian firm starts steel cutting for 7,999 DWT chemical bunker vessel.

Petrobras logo. Petrobras introduces volume-based price discounts at Santos  

Brazilian oil company offers progressive discounts for bunker deliveries exceeding 1,500 tonnes.


↑  Back to Top