WORKBOAT AWARDS / SIGNIFICANT BOATS OF 2019
2019 SIGNIFICANT BOATS Taíno and El Coquí named WorkBoat’s Boat of the Year.
At the 40th International WorkBoat Show held in New Orleans in December, the editors of WorkBoat magazine presented awards to the builders, designers and owners of 2019’s 10 Significant Boats. Also, for the sixth consecutive year, a boat of the year was selected from among the 10 winners. The 2019 Boat of the Year was the Taíno and El Coquí, container/roll on-roll off (ConRo) ships owned by Crowley Maritime and built by VT Halter Marine. By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor
C
ontainer/roll on-roll off (ConRo) ships Taíno and El Coquí were selected Boat of the Year for 2019 at the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans in December. What’s significant about the two vessels built at VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, Miss., for Crowley Maritime Corp., includes the ships themselves, improved docking facilities, and liquefied natural gas terminal infrastructure Crowley had to build both in Jacksonville, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Crowley invested $550 million in the ships and associated port upgrades. Crowley said the vessels are the world's first ConRo ships powered by LNG. The two 720'×105'×59', 26,500-dwt Commitment-class vessels were built to provide fast, reliable and environmentally friendly shipping and logistics services between Jacksonville and San Juan, a route the company has served since 1954. The ships were designed specifically for the Puerto Rico trade by Wärtsilä Ship Design and managed in the shipyard by Crowley’s solutions group, which includes naval architects and engineers from its subsidiary Jensen Maritime, Seattle. The ships carry up to 2,400 20' equivalent units (TEUs) at a cruising speed of 22 knots. A range of other container sizes and types can be accommodated, including 53'×8.5' boxes and up to 300 refrigerated containers. Enclosed and ventilated roll-on/roll-off decks have room for around 400 cars and larger vehicles. 2
Each ship is powered by a single MAN 8S70ME-GI marine engine, producing 28,769 hp at 91 rpm. The single engine connects to a 328"×291", 5-bladed prop to produce a running speed of 22 knots. Both Taíno and El Coquí have dual-fuel engines that use liquefied natural gas. Fueling the ships with LNG reduces emissions significantly, including a 100% reduction in sulphur oxide (SOx) and particulate matter (PM); a 92% cut in nitrogen oxide (NOx); and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will be cut by more than 35% per container, compared with current fossil fuels, Crowley said. Crowley wanted to “meet or exceed current and future emissions and environmental requirements. This review was done in parallel with the development of commercial requirements for the variance types of cargoes we intended to carry,” said Cole Cosgrove, vice president, Crowley global ship management. “The ship’s reduced transit time complements major investments in technology and other infrastructure upgrades to our terminals that make it easier and quicker for our trucking partners to access our terminals for cargo moves,” Frank Larkin, Crowley’s senior vice president and general manager, logistics and commercial services, said in a statement. The initial design concept was not the least expensive www.workboat.com • JANUARY 2020 • WorkBoat Significant BoatS
