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Acl News

14 Nov 2022

Construction Begins for American Cruise Lines' Third Project Blue Vessel

(Photo: American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines announced on Monday that Salisbury, Md. shipbuilder Chesapeake Shipbuilding has began building American Liberty, the third new Coastal Cat in the company’s Project Blue series. The newbuild is scheduled to enter service in May 2024.First announced in January 2022, the Project Blue series is a set of 12 small ships designed to cover almost any domestic U.S. cruise itinerary. The first two ships in the series, American Eagle and American Glory are scheduled…

07 Mar 2022

Recovery, Resilience and Demand Shifts to Drive Inland Waterway Cargo Flows

(Photo: Blessey Marine Services)

Waterway traffic is coming back. November 2021 saw 52.1 million tons moving on the U.S. inland waterway system, the highest monthly tonnage since October 2019, a few months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shutdowns and stoppages of early 2020. Flows estimated by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, based on data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) show a 25% rise from June 2020. Data in a presentation by The Waterways Council Inc (WCI)…

02 Feb 2022

Passenger Vessel Sector Faces Winding Path Back to ‘Normal’

Washington State Ferries’ first new hybrid-electric ferry, which will be an Olympic-class vessel similar in design to Suquamish (pictured), will be named Wishkah and is scheduled to enter service in 2025. (Photo: WSF)

The year just ended, 2021, might be described as being about “trying to get back to normal”, across the entire transportation spectrum, two years into the pandemic. During this time, the decarbonization and electrification waves have swept across maritime passenger transport. The passenger side of the business is dependent on multiple funding sources; increasingly, this money will be driven by environmental and social considerations.The long-awaited funding of “infrastructure”-related projects…

19 Jan 2022

American Cruise Lines Reveals Plan to Build 12 New Ships

(Image: American Cruise Lines)

U.S. river and coastal cruise shipping company American Cruise Lines announced plans for 12 new identical sister ships that will more than double the nation’s current capacity for domestic coastal cruises.The new U.S.-built fleet, announced as part of ACL's newly revealed Project Blue expansion plan, will operate exclusively in the United States, with a focus on small towns and close-to-home adventures, the company said, adding that the hybrid catamarans have been designed to offer improved near-shore operating versatility.Charles B.

20 Sep 2021

Expect the Unexpected on the Inland Waterways

Among transportation planners, “resilience”, describing the ability to bounce back from adversities, both economic and other, has become a top consideration as we increasingly must “expect the unexpected.” The U.S. waterway system, covering the network of inland rivers and coastwise waterways, has seen a mix of good and not so good. As the 2020-2021 pandemic moves toward winding down, a recovery from the dismal 2020 is underway, but activity on the rivers is uneven. Ken Eriksen…

23 Dec 2020

Damen Ships Multiple Vessels to Canada in Single Shipment

(Photo: Damen)

Five Damen vessels have made their way across the Atlantic Ocean on a unique voyage to Canada. Early this year, Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract with Ontario-based Doornekamp Construction for the delivery of a Shoalbuster 3209. The vessel was formerly part of Damen Marine Services’ charter fleet. What seemed an ordinary ship sale contract was, in fact, just the beginning.Shortly after this initial contract, Doornekamp Construction placed on order with Damen for a Stan Pontoon (barge) 7524.

18 Nov 2020

US Inland Waterways: High Waters & Swirling Currents

(Photo: Ingram Barge)

The inland waterway system, flowing through the United States heartland, is a microcosm of all that has been happening in 2020: trade tensions, infrastructure issues, shifting trends in fuel consumption and the pandemic that has gripped us since the winter months. Shortly after the initial coronavirus outbreak here in the U.S., maritime workers were deemed to be “essential”, paving the way for cargo flows to recover from their springtime nadir. As COVID-19 infections turned up on U.S. shores, the boats continued plying the waterways, albeit with reduced volumes in some cases.

11 Jun 2020

Insurance Company Launched to Focus on Maritime Cyber Threats

Š momentscatcher / Adobe Stock

A new insurance services business has been launched to protect maritime companies from cyber threats. Offering risk management, underwriting and analytics, Astaara Company Limited said it aims to modernize this area of the insurance industry."The insurance business is behind the times when it comes to cyber threats to maritime companies. It is only by listening to and responding to what the maritime community needs that you can create a solution that is relevant and necessary…

07 May 2020

US Barging Industry Navigating Black Swan Events

(Photo: Campbell Transportation Company)

The combination of the coronavirus pandemic and oil price freefall have affected most maritime markets, including inland waterway shipping. Looking at U.S. river transport in particular, the impacts of these two black swan events vary greatly depending on the type of cargo being carried.David Grzebinski, CEO of the America’s largest tank barge operator, Kirby Corp., said in a March conference call that petrochemical customers have driven the market higher as plants and refineries look to shore up their supply chains amid current market upheavals…

20 Mar 2020

ACL Expects to Emerge from Chapter 11 Soon

Š Warren Price / Adobe Stock

American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL) said on Friday it expects to complete its recapitalization and emerge from Chapter 11 in the coming weeks after the U.S. Bankrptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division confirmed the company's pre-packaged plan. ACL announced it would implement the recapitalization plan in February. Upon emergence, the company will receive $200 million in new capital to support liquidity and investments in the business and will reduce its funded debt by approximately $1 billion…

27 Feb 2020

ACL to Launch Riverboat Pair in 2021

(Image: American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines announced that it will launch two additional modern riverboats for the 2021 season. Construction is already underway on the new riverboats and will ramp up as American Jazz, the Line’s third modern riverboat, is readied for its 2020 debut in New Orleans.The two riverboats coming next year will be sister ships to the American Harmony and American Jazz, but will feature new design elements that appeal to today’s discerning travelers. Further design enhancements…

07 Feb 2020

Vessels Queue Grows as Salvage Continues on the Intracoastal Waterway

Rock barge ACL 01700 split in half and sunk after grounding near Mile Marker 99 in Berwick, La. earlier this week. Salvage operations have continued day and night. (Photo Alexandria Preston / U.S. Coast Guard)

Nearly 200 towing vessels and 600 barges are queued on the Intracoastal Waterway while salvors work to clear a halved and partially sunken rock barge near Berwick, La., the U.S. Coast Guard said.A section of waterway has been closed since Sunday night, when a towing vessel pushing six rock-filled hopper barges ran aground at mile marker 99.The push boat Miss Odessa was reportedly transiting southbound on the Atchafalaya River when it turned west onto the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and hit bottom. One of the barges, ACL 01700, split in half and sunk when the vessel attempted to break free.

07 Jun 2019

ACL's Next Riverboat Nears Completion

American Harmony (Photo: American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines announced that its second of a new class of modern riverboat, the American Harmony, moved under its own power to the shipyard’s outfitting pier for final touches. American Harmony was successfully launched at Chesapeake Shipbuilding this past November, 2018, and is well ahead of schedule for its August 17, 2019 inaugural cruise on the Mississippi River. American Harmony is the 2nd of 5 new ships in American’s revolutionary new modern riverboat series. The 1st ship, American Song, was the first modern riverboat in U.S. history and went into service last fall.

23 Jan 2019

Inland River Cruising: 2019 Will Be Busy

The American Song (CREDIT: ACL)

One year ago, we reported on vacation river cruising, presenting an industry mostly on the optimistic side of growth and expansion for 2018. This year’s review is more geographically limited – to the Mississippi River, heartland cruises centered among New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis and St. Paul – but with links important for a lot of smaller cities in between.Big picture:This industry is strong, at least among its two major players: American Cruise Lines and the American Queen Steamboat Company. Both have extensive and varied schedules for 2019.

12 Oct 2018

ACL Christens Its New Vessel Atlantic Sun

Photo: ACL

Atlantic Container Line (ACL) held a christening ceremony for its new G4 vessel, the Atlantic Sun, on Wednesday, at FAPS Port Newark Auto Marine Terminal at the Port of New York & New Jersey. The ACL G4 vessels are the first of their kind and the largest multipurpose RoRo/Containerships ever built. They incorporate an innovative design that increases capacity without significantly changing the dimensions of the vessel. The G4s are bigger, greener and more efficient than their predecessors.

29 Aug 2018

ACL's Newest Riverboat Passes Sea Trials

American Song returning from Sea Trails (Photo: American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines has announced that brand new ship American Song has successfully passed Sea Trials and is now on its way to the “Big Easy.” The first modern riverboat in U.S. history is expected to arrive in New Orleans the first week in September.American Song passed Sea Trials with flying colors and is the second new vessel completed and delivered to American Cruise Lines by Chesapeake Shipbuilding this year. American Harmony, the second modern riverboat in the series…

26 Jun 2018

Grimaldi Group: Alfa Laval PureSOx for Five ACL Vessels

Photo: The Grimaldi Group

The Grimaldi Group signed an agreement for PureSOx connectivity services on five vessels operated by Atlantic Container Line (ACL). The services will provide not only compliance monitoring, but also valuable data for use in optimizing PureSOx operation. The Grimaldi Group has been using PureSOx for exhaust gas cleaning aboard its vessels since 2014. ACL, a Grimaldi Group company specialized in transatlantic cargo shipping, has hybrid PureSOx scrubber systems installed on all five of its Generation 4 (G4) vessels: Atlantic Sail, Atlantic Sea, Atlantic Sky, Atlantic Star and Atlantic Sun.

19 May 2018

The 'Grande Halifax' Christened in Halifax

The Pure Car & Truck Carrier Grande Halifax, owned and operated by the Grimaldi Group, has been christened yesterday in Halifax, New Scotia. Godmother of the new vessel was Ms. Karen Oldfield, President and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority. A ceremony took place at Halterm/Autoport with the presence of a distinguished delegation composed of representatives of civil and maritime authorities, among which the mayor of Halifax Michael Savage, Members of Parliament, the honorary consul of Italy in Halifax Marilisa Benigno, port operators, shippers, managers of the Grimaldi Group and of its daughter company ACL (Atlantic Container Line).

03 Oct 2016

Inland Marine Service Appoints New Leadership

Kristina Luna (Photo: IMS)

Four corporate professionals have recently joined Inland Marine Service (IMS), announced Dave Hammond, President of Inland Marine Service. The new hires are Kristina Luna, HR Manager; Moses Garza, Tankerman Supervisor; Caleb King, Manager SHEQ/Compliance Director; and Brian Howell, Assistant Port Engineer. Reporting to Jason Adams, Luna will be based out of the Hebron office and will be responsible for all of the company’s human relations needs. Luna has 20 years of experience in employee management, human resources, event planning, marketing, and sales.

06 Apr 2016

Atlantic Sail Hits the Water

Atlantic Container Line (ACL) took delivery of Atlantic Sail last week, the second of five new conro (container and roll-on/roll-off) - new G4 generation vessels - ships the company is building as part of its fleet renewal process. The Atlantic Sail will sail from China early in the week of April 4th and will take its place in the company’s transatlantic schedule in early May. The remaining three G4 vessels will all be delivered during this year. The ACL G4 vessels are the first of their kind and the largest multipurpose RORO/Containerships ever built. They incorporate an innovative design that increases capacity without significantly changing the dimensions of the vessel. The G4s are bigger, greener and more efficient than their predecessors.

03 Feb 2016

Barge Breakaway on the Mississippi

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a report of a grounded towing vessel and 35 barge breakaway near Caruthersville, Mo. On the Mississippi River.   Coast Guard watchstanders were notified that the towing vessel Joe Bobzien had run aground and its 35 loaded dry cargo barges had broken away from the vessel at 4:30 a.m., Tuesday. The cause of the incident is under investigation.   The Coast Guard has restricted all river traffic, except assist vessels, from mile marker 864 to 834.   ACL Transportation Services is deploying two vessels to assist.

12 Nov 2015

ACL Acquires AEP River Operations

Mark Knoy (Photo: American Commercial Lines)

Marine transportation service company American Commercial Lines (ACL) announced it has acquired commercial inland barge company AEP River Operations from American Electric Power (AEP). AEP River Operations is based in Chesterfield, Mo., with operations in Paducah, Ky.; and Convent, Algiers and Belle Chasse, La., and delivers approximately 45 million tons of products annually. Mark Knoy, president and CEO of Jeffersonville, Ind. based ACL, had previously run AEP River Operations for a decade before joining ACL in 2011.

10 Nov 2015

Port of New Orleans Riding High

Gary LaGrange, president & CEO of the Port of New Orleans, speaks at the 29th Annual State of the Port Address hosted by International Freight Forwarders & Custom Brokers Association of New Orleans (IFFCBANO).

The Port of New Orleans has surpassed the half-million mark for twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEU) handled in a 12-month period for the first time, announced Port President and CEO Gary LaGrange during the 29th Annual State of the Port Address hosted today by the International Freight Forwarders and Customs House Brokers Association of New Orleans. “It’s another milestone that comes on the heels of four record years in a row,” LaGrange said. The most recent 12-month container data through September found the port handled 537,285 TEUs, a 13.6 percent increase over the same period one-year ago.