US-based Crowley Maritime Corp. has taken delivery of Taíno – the second of two of its combination container/roll on-roll off (ConRo) ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The vessel was delivered by shipbuilder VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula, Miss.
Taíno will soon join sister ship El Coquí, which was delivered in July, in providing shipping and logistics services between Jacksonville, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This milestone marks the final chapter in construction of Crowley’s $550 million investment in the two newly built, Commitment Class ships and associated port upgrades, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The resulting ships and port facilities have elevated the company’s Puerto Rico supply chain services to world-class standards as a new era begins in the company’s longtime logistics services for the island,” it said.
Taíno, like El Coquí, will be operated by Crowley’s global ship management group. The vessel is scheduled to make its maiden voyage to San Juan on Jan. 8 from its dedicated U.S. mainland port in Jacksonville, JAXPORT.
The new Crowley ships, built specifically for the Puerto Rico trade, are 219.5 meters (720 feet), 26,500 deadweight tons (DWT), and can transport up to 2,400 twenty-foot-equivalent container units (TEUs) at a cruising speed of 22 knots.
Working with Eagle LNG Partners, the ships are bunkered from a shoreside fuel depot at JAXPORT.