December 7 - Crowley Maritime and VT Halter Marine have launched Crowley's second Commitment Class ship, Taíno, one of the world's first combination container/ro-ro (con-ro) vessels powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Taíno will now proceed through the final topside construction and testing phase before entering service in 2018.
Like its sister vessel, El Coquí, Taíno will be able to transport up to 2,400 teu and a mix of nearly 400 cars and larger vehicles in its enclosed, ventilated and weather-tight ro-ro decks.
El Coquí, which was launched earlier this year, is now in final testing prior to entering service in early 2018. Construction of the vessels is being managed in the shipyard by Crowley's solutions group, which includes naval architects and engineers from Jensen Maritime, a subsidiary of Crowley.
According to Crowley, the launch of the vessel in Pascagoula, USA, marks the latest achievement in the company's transformation and modernisation of its shipping and logistics services between Jacksonville, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
"The added speed and efficiency provided by these high-performing ships will benefit customers shipping goods between the mainland and the island," said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico services. "Cargo for businesses and consumers will be able to reach markets at peak time, whether it is dry, refrigerated, or breakbulk, such as vehicles and other rolling stock."
Over the coming months, Crowley will transition its non-liner and logistics business units into three main service lines - Crowley Shipping, Crowley Fuels and Crowley Solutions.
Crowley's commercial ship management services, which includes the management of the Commitment Class con-ro vessels, will be incorporated into Crowley Shipping, led by Rob Grune, senior vice president and general manager.
According to Crowley, the liner shipping and logistics business units will continue to transition towards a singular supply chain solutions division, - Crowley Logistics, consolidating its current logistics and liner services over the next several years.
A video of the launch of the latest con-ro vessel can be viewed here
