Atlantic Container Line News

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.

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.

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).

The Grande New York, part of the new fleet of the Grimaldi Group, was christened in the Port of NY-NJ at Port Newark Auto Marine Terminal (FAPS). Godmother was Amanda Matilda Cuomo Cole, granddaughter of former late NY Governor, Mario Cuomo and niece of current NY Governor Andrew Cuomo. Father Peter Haldás of St. John Paul II blessed the ship during a short ceremony to a distinguished delegation composed of maritime authorities, customers, port operators and managers of Grimaldi Group and daughter company Atlantic Container Line. Costantino Baldissara, Commercial, Logistics & Operations Director of Grimaldi Group, gave special thanks to Italian Consul General, Francesco Genuardi, the NY-NJ Port Authority Deputy Director, Andy Saporito and FAPS President, August LoBue.

The Grimaldi Group has placed orders for seven hybrid Alfa Laval PureSOx systems with U-design scrubbers. The orders are an important milestone, as the second of these systems is also the 100th U-design scrubber to be sold by Alfa Laval. The Grimaldi Group, which is the parent company of Atlantic Container Line, Finnlines and others, is a multinational logistics group based on maritime transport. Specialized in the operation of RoRo vessels, car carriers and ferries, the group has been using Alfa Laval PureSOx systems to meetSOx emission limits since 2014. With new PureSOx orders booked in October, comprising seven car carriers to be built at China’s Yangfan Shipyard, the Grimaldi Group will bring its total number of PureSOx systems to 19.

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.

The World Container Index’s composite index, an average of spot freight rates on 11 global East-West routes connecting Asia, Europe and the US, reached a record low of US$701 per 40-foot container on March 10, says Drewry Shipping Consultants. This was the lowest reading since the World Container Index (WCI) starting tracking weekly transatlantic, transpacific and Asia-Europe rates in June 2011. “The World Container Index’s composite index is now 60% lower than the average of the past 5 years and has decreased by 62% in the past year,” said Richard Heath, director of WCI. Jonathan Chappell, an analyst at Evercore ISI in New York says that there’s been an arms race in building bigger and bigger ships and they’re coming at a time the economy is slowing.

The Board of Directors of Stolt-Nielsen Limited announced the passing of Christer Olsson, Chairman of the Board. He was 70. Mr. Olsson had served as a Director of the Company since 1993, and as Chairman of the Board since December 15, 2009, when he succeeded Jacob Stolt-Nielsen, the company's founder. The Board of Directors will elect a new chairman at the Company's Annual General Meeting in April 2016. "For more than two decades, Christer provided constructive guidance and thoughtful insights to Board discussions, helping the Company to capitalize on opportunities as well as overcome challenges," said Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen, Chief Executive Officer. "Christer has been a trusted support to me since he first was elected to the Board.

After signing an order for the construction of five new ships two weeks ago, the Italian shipowner  Grimaldi Group has signed another contract for the construction of three new PCTC-type ships (Pure Car and Truck Carriers) at the Chinese Jinling shipyard, for a total investment of $165 million. These PCTCs are estimated to be delivered to the shipping company during 2017. The contract also calls for an option for the construction of an additional unit. The three latest PCTC orders are planned to be employed on the Group's regular service connecting the Mediterranean with North America to transport mainly brand new vehicles that are manufactured by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to meet US and Canadian market needs.

Alfa Laval reports its scrubber solution PureSOx has been the subject of many repeat orders. One of the major returning customers is the Grimaldi Group, which has now ordered its 10th installation of Alfa Laval’s exhaust gas cleaning system. The Grimaldi Group is a multinational logistics group specialized in the operation of RoRo vessels, car carriers and ferries. Through the maritime services of Atlantic Container Line, Finnlines and its other companies, the Naples-based group transports passengers, nearly any type of rolling cargo as well as containers and general cargo.

As the start of enforcement in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) now begins, Alfa Laval, which reported steady growth in exhaust gas cleaning in 2014, said it has the ability to deliver class-approved systems and is prepared for a higher order intake in 2015. Alfa Laval PureSOx is a marine SOx scrubber system allowing the continued use of heavy fuel oil (HFO) while meeting the emission limits for operation in ECAs. Now in its second generation, the system has accumulated an order portfolio comprising over 1…

The Port of Virginia marks an important milestone Monday 14th September as Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT), closed for nearly three years, reopens to cargo operations. At 8 a.m. on Monday, the terminal will begin receiving trucks carrying containers for export. “Sustained growth in our container business necessitates PMT’s return to service and is a sign of health for The Port of Virginia,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority (VPA). The first vessel call is scheduled for early October and from that point forward the 30-acre operation will process between 75,000 and 100,000 containers annually. The operation will be “wheeled,” or containers-onchassis; there will be no stacked containers except for those units in the empty yard.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) advises that it has strengthened its Singapore-based management team with the appointment of Ms. Hege Solstad as Regional Director, WSS Asia Pacific, and Harald Lundestad as General Manager in the Singapore office. WSS say that these appointments reflect increased levels of business and a focus on expanding service provision across the Asia-Pacific region. Both individuals bring key skillsets to the WSS Asia operations, having worked across global…

A steel cutting ceremony in Shanghai marked the start of the construction of the first of Atlantic Container Line's (ACL) five, G4 (Generation 4) RORO/Containerships. Since signing a contract with ACL in July 2012 for the construction of these vessels, Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding (HZS) has been busy with the detailed design work and tank testing. ACL's President & CEO, Andrew J. Abbott and Henrik Karle, (Vice‐President of Marine Operations) participated in the steel cutting event together with Grimaldi Group's…

At the 151st Annual Meeting of the Members of ABS, and the subsequent meeting of the ABS Council, industry leaders were elected to serve on a number of bodies that contribute to the operation of the classification society as it fulfills its mission of promoting the security of life and property and preserving the natural environment. "ABS' strength as a global classification society is drawn from its membership and the many regional, national and technical committees that contribute to the process of developing practical, impartial and authoritative standards," said ABS Chairman Robert D. Somerville. •    Robert G. •    James G. •    Maria F. •    Chow Yew Yuen, Keppel Offshore & Marine USA Inc. •    Dr. Jen-Hwa Chen, Chevron Shipping Co. •    Dr.

Atlantic Container Line (ACL) confirm that their five new roll-on roll-off containerships (CONROs) will be built to UK standards. The five new vessels are being built at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. Ltd in Shanghai China. They are the first of their type ever built with a container capacity of 3800 TEUs plus 28,900 square metres of Ro-Ro space and a car capacity of 1,307 vehicles. All five vessels will be delivered in 2015 and will replace the companys existing transatlantic fleet of five vessels. Following the announcement that the UK flag will be used as the design flag Debasis Mazumdar, Head of the UK Ship Register said: "

I am delighted that ACL have recognised the advantages of building these ships to UK standards and have chosen the UK Flag as the design flag.

Atlantic Container Line (ACL) contracts Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding to build world's largest largest RORO/Containerships (CONRO's). The G4 (Generation 4) vessels will replace ACL's existing fleet of G3 CONROs operating in the company's transatlantic service. All five vessels will be delivered in 2015. The new vessels will be the first of their type ever built. They will be bigger, faster, greener and more efficient than their predecessors. The G4's will have a container capacity of 3800 TEUs plus 28,900 square meters of RORO space, with a car capacity of 1307 vehicles.

Danish Naval Architecture Firm KNUD E. HANSEN A/S behind the coordination for Basic Design of new Roll-on Roll-off/Containerships for Hudong-Zhonghua. On the 10th of August 2012, the Atlantic Container Line (ACL) announced their contract with the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (group) Co. Ltd. China for the construction of five new RoRo/Container (CONRO) vessels. The vessels will be the world’s largest and most innovative CONRO vessels ever built. The five ship order will form the G4 (Generation 4) class and on delivery…

Grimaldi Group Naples, has become ShipServ's 53rd member. They are also its first Italian shipping company client. Grimaldi Group Naples, which includes Grimaldi Compagnia di Navigazione, Atlantica di Navigazione, INARME, Malta Motorways of the Sea and Atlantic Container Line, has 47 vessels with another 12 on order. The Group is known for its purchasing organization and procedures, which has enabled it to achieve substantial efficiencies over the years. Grimaldi is a long time user of SpecTec AMOS Maintenance & Purchase system and it is the first SpecTec client to become a member of ShipServ TradeNet since SpecTec and ShipServ announced their new partnership in March.

On October 7th 2008, Digital Ship held its 2nd conference for Shipdex™, a new protocol to provide ship technical information electronically, rather than on paper. Shipdex™ was founded in 2007 by two senior managers of shipping companies, Grimaldi Naples and Intership Navigation, who thought that the industry should move beyond supplying all technical paperwork (including maintenance and repair manuals, lists of spare parts and drawings) as paper documents, which then have to be typed into company maintenance and purchasing systems.

Mediterranean Shipping Company announced that it will implement a rate restoration on the westbound North Europe-to-North America trade. The Geneva, Switzerland-based cargo steamship line notes that in view of actual market situation, depressed rates and increased costs, the company will proceed with an independent rate restoration that will increase all tariff rates and service contracts by a minimum of $300 per container. This adjustment will go into effect at the latest by January 1, 2007. MSC states that it has not been exempt from recent market developments that have caused rate levels to deteriorate to unsustainable levels. At the same time…

Hamburg has one of the most comprehensive liner networks in Europe, which in turn means that it plays an important role as a transport hub for global cargo flows. Specialized liner traffic connects Hamburg to six continents. Over 100 container liner services travelling to destinations all over the world are based in Hamburg. One of the main markets for the Port of Hamburg are liner services from and to the Far East. In 2008 an average of 30 weekly full container services called at the Port of Hamburg. 19 new liner services were established in 2008. Eight of them sail on shipping routes to the Far East; three to India and the Middle East; two to South America and one each on routes in the regions North America, Australia / Oceania, Africa, the Mediterranean and the North and Baltic Seas.

The Grimaldi Group ordered five Ro-Ro Multipurpose Car Carriers for its Atlantic Services. The order was placed with Hyundai Mipo Dockyard of Ulsan, South Korea, and its value is at around $430 million. The first ship is scheduled to enter service in spring 2010, with the others following at a few months interval one from each other, between 2010 and 2011. They are almost identical sisters of another 5 ships contracted with Uljanik Yard of Croatia, which are slated for delivery in 2008 and 2009. In line with the Grimaldi Group strategy, these new ships will be highly flexible in terms of cargo mix. At 25,000-dwt and with a service speed of 21 knots, each of the new vessels will be able to take on board up to 2,000 linear metres of Ro/Ro cargo, 2,000 cars and up to 800 TEU of containers.