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Taíno and El Coquí named WorkBoat’s Boat of the Year.
Taíno and El Coquí
By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor
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.
El Coquí at the Isla Grande Terminal in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Crowley Maritime
In addition, Crowley has expanded Isla Grande’s terminal capacity for handling refrigerated containers; paved 15 acres to accommodate container stacking; added containers and associated handling equipment to its fleet; installed a new electrical substation to provide power for the new gantry cranes; constructed a new sevenlane exit gate to increase speed and efficiency for trucking partners; and implemented a new, modern terminal operating software system.
Container/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. 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.
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
but what met current and known future emissions requirements while providing the most environmentally friendly operation, Cosgrove said. “Dual fuel engines were new to say the least. There were really only two manufacturers capable of providing dual fuel engines with the necessary horsepower we needed for the service speed we required,” he said. “We studied the proposals from both very carefully, looking at each element of the total cost of ownership. strategies, fuel consumption and more. “This process took several weeks during the design stage. That effort paid off, and ultimately we have delivered one of the most technically advanced vessels in the world with cutting edge automation and LNG control systems,” said Cosgrove. “A pure diesel solution may have been less upfront cost in terms of design and initial build, but long-term costs associated with additional emissions hardware needed to make diesel vessels compliant for 2020 and beyond, we felt justified [in going with] the higher initial investment in LNG.” El Coquí and Taíno are able to transport up to 2,400 20-foot-equivalent container units (TEUs) and a mix of nearly 400 cars and larger vehicles in the enclosed, ventilated and weathertight ro-ro decks.
The 2019 Boat of the Year, the Taíno and El Coquí, was announced at the International WorkBoat Show. Pictured, left to right, Johan Sperling, Crowley Maritime; Robert Mullins, VT Halter Marine; David Krapf, WorkBoat magazine; Ray Martus, Crowley Maritime; and Quentin Stewart, Wärtsilä North America.
Doug Stewart \ WorkBoat
said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico services. “Cargo for businesses and consumers will be able to dependably reach markets at peak time, whether it is dry, refrigerated or breakbulk, such as vehicles and other rolling stock.”
The ships are specifically designed for the Puerto Rico service providing some of the fastest delivery times available in the market on the types of cargo Crowley’s customers demand, said Cosgrove. “The legacy service provided for movement of 53'×102" intermodal trailers that later were replaced by container on chassis of the same size. This is the standard intermodal container unit for the U.S. market, and the carriage of these units above and below deck is a must for the [Puerto Rico] service. In addition, the vessel carries a mix of 20-, 40-, 45-foot equipment in addition to handling power for over 300 refrigerated containers. Speed, flexibility, a direct link to standard U.S. intermodal equipment sizes. This makes these vessels specific to the Puerto Rico market.”
He added that Crowley customers depend on the company’s vehicle services. With the completely enclosed and ventilated vehicle decks, the company has a unique feature in the trade with a capacity to transport 400 vehicles and equipment, Cosgrove said. El Coquí’s first run in 2018 was part of an overall upgrade of Crowley’s Puerto Rico service. In San Juan, Crowley now utilizes three new, shipto-shore gantry cranes at the company’s Isla Grande Terminal to add speed to vessel unloading. The cranes are the first new, specialized gantry cranes placed in operation in San Juan Harbor in more than five decades. The cranes complement a new 900'×114' concrete pier at Isla Grande.
EL COQUÍ, TAÍNO SPECIFICATIONS
Builder: VT Halter Marine Designer: Wärsilä Ship Design/Jensen Maritime Owner: Crowley Maritime Corp./Crowley Global Ship Management Mission: Container/Ro-Ro service between Florida and Puerto Rico Length: 720' Beam: 105' Depth: 59' Draft: 31' Deadweight Tonnage: 26,500 Main Propulsion: MAN B&W 8S70ME-GI, 28,769 hp @ 91 rpm Speed: 22 knots Bowthruster: Wärtsilä CT225H, 1,515 kW Ship's Service Power: (3) MAN 9L28/32DF, 1,800 kW Propeller: 328"x291", 5-bladed Controls: Siemens Steering System: Rolls-Royce RV2600-3, Becker Flap Rudder Crew: 21/30 max in 23 staterooms Capacities: 2,400 TEUs; 387 vehicles (approximate); 300 reefer plugs; 2,288 M3 LNG; 2,003 M3 ultra low sulfur marine gas oil; 128 M3 lube oil; and 310 M3 fresh water Ancillary Equipment: Rolls-Royce Anchor Windlass, Rolls-Royce Mooring Winches, Hyde Guardian ballast water treatment system; TTs stern ramp; (3) INOXCVA double wall, vacuum insulated LNG tank, 4.5 Bar max pressure; TGE Marine gas system engineered Classifi cation/ Certifi cation: Det Norske Veritas (DNV) classed Maltese Cross A1 General Cargo Carrier, CONTAINER, RO/RO, NAUTICUS (Newbuilding), GAS FUELED, DG-P, BIS, TMON, BWM-T, EO, NAUT-OC, CLEAN Delivery Date: El Coquí, July 2018; Taíno, December 2018.
Crowley Maritime
