ACL takes delivery of largest-ever conro vessel

Compared to its existing ships, the Atlantic Star will have double the container capacity and more room for vehicles and high and heavy roll-on/roll-off cargo, according to Atlantic Container Lines.    Atlantic Container Line (ACL) said it officially took delivery this week of Atlantic Star, the first in a new generation of five container and roll-on/roll-off (conro) ships it is building for its transatlantic service.
   The ship will sail from China on Saturday and will join the ACL’s service in December. She will be christened in Liverpool and the ship will be registered in the U.K.
   The remaining four ships, which ACL calls “G4” because they are the fourth generation of conro vessels in the company’s history, will be delivered during the first half of 2016. They are being built by Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding’s shipyard on Chungxing Island near Shanghai.
   ACL, which is part of the Grimaldi Group, says Atlantic Star is a first of its kind vessel and the largest conro ever built.
   An innovative design increases capacity over the ships currently in service without significantly changing their dimensions. Container capacity is more than doubled at 3,800 TEUs, and the ships have 28,900 square meters more ro-ro space and capacity to carry more than 1,300 vehicles.
   The ro-ro ramps on the Atlantic Star are wider and shallower and the ro-ro decks are higher (up to 7.4 meters) with fewer columns, enabling much easier loading and discharge of oversized cargo.
   The company says the vessel also reduces emissions per TEU by 65 percent compared to its current ships.
   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 said its current schedule and port rotation will be maintained until all five G4 vessels are in service, and it will announce its new G4 schedule during the second quarter of 2016.