Teras Cargo Transport (America) adds new ship

The U.S.-flag Norfolk will give the company additional capabilities to move heavylift cargo.    Teras Cargo Transport (America) LLC has added a new ship, Norfolk, to its fleet of U.S.-flag vessels.
   The company unveiled the third U.S.-flag ship in its fleet last week at an event in Norfolk, VA, and said the new 19,350-deadweight-ton vessel ship will give it “the schedule and routing flexibility to serve clients participating in projects or cargo movements throughout the world, including Antarctica.”
   The Norfolk is an E3 ice class vessel, which will allow it to serve commercial and government marine transport requirements to Antarctica, Greenland and the Northern Sea.
   The new vessel will supplement Teras Cargo Transport’s other heavylift ships, landing craft, submersible barges, self-ballasting barges, ocean going tugs and assist tugs. It has two 400 metric ton cranes, one 120 metric ton crane, a strengthened deck, and is “well-equipped to handle out of gauge and heavy cargoes,” said Marc Marling, Teras’ president.
   The company’s other U.S.-flag ships are the Houston, with capacity of 7,488 dwt and two 250 ton cranes, and the Seattle, which has a capacity of 20,587 dwt and two 60 ton cranes.
   “We like the US-flag business, we think it’s a good business to be in,” said Marling. “We move a variety of commercial cargoes and we also move a variety of flag impelled cargoes – military and embassy cargo, foreign cargoes, food aid. It’s something that we’re passionate about and we like being supportive of the US maritime industry and we thought the timing was right to go, and we’re growing the company, growing the Teras Cargo Transport brand.”