On October 10, the christening ceremony and plaque presentation for the Atlantic Sun, a Con-Ro (Container and Roll on Roll Off) vessel, were held at Berth 17 in Port Newark. Officials from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey joined customers of the ocean carrier, Atlantic Container Line (ACL) and the ship’s Godmother, Katherine LoBue, to celebrate this monumental occasion.
The ship was built in 2016 in China and is the 4th generation of ACL’s Con-Ro vessels. The Atlantic Sun is the first of its kind in this new vessel class and the largest multipurpose Con-Ro ever built. They incorporate an innovative design that increases capacity without significantly changing the dimensions of the vessel. These ships are bigger, greener and more efficient than their predecessors. The decks are higher (up to 7.4 meters) with fewer columns, enabling easier loading and discharge of oversized cargo. The total capacity of the Atlantic Sun is 3,800 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) and 1,300 vehicles. Fuel consumption per TEU has been dramatically reduced and emissions have been eliminated by scrubbers which filter the Sulphur out of the heavy fuel oil that is used for the vessel’s propulsion. The new fleet continues to employ ACL’s unique cell-guides on deck, helping the company maintain a unique record: ACL ships have not lost a single container overboard at sea in over 35 years.
