Atlantic Container Lines announced that it has taken delivery of the Atlantic Star, the first of five new vessels in the G4 fleet. The new ship sailed from China on Saturday and will join the company’s trans-Atlantic service in December.
The Atlantic Star is a first of its kind vessel and the largest RoRo/container ship (CONRO) ever built. It incorporates a design that increases capacity without significantly changing vessel dimensions.
The remaining four G4 vessels will be delivered during the first half of 2016.
Features of G4 vessels
- They are bigger, greener and more efficient than their predecessors.
- The container capacity is more than doubled at 3800 TEUs, plus 28,900 square meters of RoRo space and a car capacity of 1300+ vehicles.
- The RoRo ramps are wider and shallower and decks are higher (up to 7.4 meters) with fewer columns, enabling much easier loading and discharge of oversized cargo.
- According to ACL, emissions per TEU are reduced by 65 percent.
- The fleet continues to employ cell-guides on deck, a feature that will allow ACL to extend its enviable record: ACL ships have never lost a container over the side during the last 30 years.
ACL’s current schedule and port rotation will be maintained until all five G4 vessels are in service. During the second quarter of 2016 ACL will announce its new G4 schedule.
ACL is a specialized transatlantic carrier of containers, project and oversized cargo, heavy equipment, and vehicles with the world’s largest combination RoRo/container ships. The company’s headquarters is in Westfield, NJ with offices throughout Europe and North America.
Source: Cargo Business News