Crowley Maritime Corp. announced they have ordered two of the world's first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ConRo ships from VT Halter Marine Inc. in Mississippi. The vessels, scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2017, will be able to travel at up to 22 knots and will be capable of carrying a variety of container sizes along with hundreds of vehicles.

The ships, to be named El Coquí and Taíno, will replace Crowley's towed triple-deck barge fleet, which started operations in the early 1970s, on the company's Puerto Rico trades. Powered by LNG, the Crowley ships will set a new standard for environmentally responsible shipping.

Our investment in these new ships " the first of their kind in the world " is significant on so many fronts, said Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO. We named them the Commitment Class of ships because they represent our commitment to our customers and the people of Puerto Rico whom we will continue to serve for years to come with the superior service they expect from Crowley.

Second, it reflects Crowley's commitment to EcoStewardship© in that we are developing and using best-available technology that allows for improved emissions, advanced ballast water management and alternative fuel selection, he said. And lastly, our actions are clear evidence of our commitment to the U.S. maritime industry and the Jones Act. American built, crewed and owned ensures U.S. shipbuilding capabilities, skilled U.S. merchant seamen, and available domestic vessel tonnage, all of which are of vital importance to our national defense.

The vessel design has been brought to life by Wartsila Ship Design in conjunction with Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime, a leading Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm. The new double-hulled ConRo ships have been designed to maximize the carriage of 102-inch-wide containers, which offer the most cubic cargo capacity in the trade. The ships will be 219.5 meters 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. The main propulsion and auxiliary engines will be fueled with LNG.

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 earlier this year to bring together the company's extensive resources to provide LNG vessel design and construction management; transportation; product sales and distribution, and full-scale, project management solutions.