ARC reflags ro-ro vessel to add to U.S. fleet

American Roll-on, Roll-off Carrier Group will replace the M/V Courage, which has damaged in a fire last June while crossing the North Sea and is being scrapped, with the 2006-built M/V Aida.    American Roll-on, Roll-off Carrier Group (ARC) has replaced a ship that was damaged in a cargo fire last year.
   The M/V Aida, a 2006-built Swedish roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ship from ARC affiliate Wallenius Lines, will be re-flagged to the U.S. registry following inspection by the Coast Guard. It will be one of seven ships ARC has enrolled in the Maritime Security Program, and will eventually be renamed later this year.
   The ship will replace the M/V Courage, an ARC vessel that was damaged in a fire last June while crossing the North Sea. That ship will be scrapped at a recycling yard Turkey.
   ARC says the ship “will be among the most capable and militarily-useful vessels in the U.S.-flag commercial fleet, able to carry tracked vehicles, helicopters, trucks and other military and high and heavy project cargo.” The M/V Aida has a stern opening 14.15 meters by 7.04 meters wide, and a stern ramp rated for cargo up to 240 metric tons.
   While the ship is expected to carry a lot of large vehicles, it has a capacity of 6,735 “RT43 units” sometimes referred to as “car equivalent units” or CEUs. An RT43 unit is equivalent to the space occupied by a 1966 Toyota Corona.