Florida-based Crowley Maritime Corporation, a marine solutions, transportation and logistics company, has placed an order for two Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-powered, combination container – Roll-On/Roll-Off (ConRo) ships for its U.S.–Puerto Rico trade. Each vessel will be powered by an MAN B&W 8S70ME-GI8.2 main engine and 3 × MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines.
   The Commitment Class, Jones Act ConRo ships – with container Lift-On/Lift-Off (LO/LO) and Roll-On/Roll-Off (RO/RO) – will be built by VT Halter Marine Inc. of Pascagoula, Mississippi. They will be named ‘El Coquí’ and ‘Taíno’, and are scheduled for delivery in the second and fourth quarters of 2017, respectively, replacing Crowley’s towed triple-deck barge fleet.
   The vessels will be two of the world’s first LNG-powered ConRo ships, designed to travel at speeds up to 22 knots, and carry various sized containers, along with hundreds of vehicles in enclosed, weather-tight car decking.

   Graphical rendering of the MAN nine-cylinder ME-GI dual-fuel low-speed engine.
   Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO, said: “Our investment in these new ships – the first of their kind in the world – is significant” He continued: “We are developing and using best-available technology that allows for improved emissions and alternative fuel selection”.
   The new, double-hulled ConRo ships will be 219.5 m long, 32.3 m wide (beam), have a deep draught of 10 m, and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tonnes. Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 teu, with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles.
   Crowley reports that the newbuildings will reduce the amount of CO2 emissions attributable to each container by approximately 38%. Additionally, the ships will meet or exceed all regulatory requirements and have the CLEAN notation, which requires limitation of operational emissions and discharges, as well as the Green Passport, both issued by classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV).