ACL Christens New Con/Ro 'Atlantic Star'

On Friday, Atlantic Container Line (ACL) christened its new G4 vessel, the ATLANTIC STAR, at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore’s Dundalk Marine Terminal. Commissioner Rebecca Dye of the Federal Maritime Commission acted as godmother of the vessel.   

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. Their container capacity is more than doubled at 3800 TEUs, with 28,900 square meters of RORO space and a car capacity of 1300+ vehicles. The RORO ramps are wider and shallower, and the RORO decks are higher (up to 7.4 meters) with fewer columns that enable much easier loading and discharge of oversized cargo. Fuel consumption per TEU has been dramatically reduced and emissions have been eliminated by scrubbers. 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 at sea in over 35 years. 

The ATLANTIC STAR is registered in the United Kingdom. The original ATLANTIC STAR, which was part of the original ACL G1 fleet 50 years ago, also flew the British flag. The ATLANTIC STAR is one of five vessels in ACL’s new G4 fleet. 

The ATLANTIC STAR and its sister vessels, ATLANTIC SAIL, ATLANTIC SEA, ATLANTIC SKY and ATLANTIC SUN have dramatically improved ACL's competitiveness on the North Atlantic. The G4s demonstrate to ACL’s customers and suppliers that its parent company, the Grimaldi Group, continues to invest in ACL for the long term.  

ACL’s success over its 50-year history has been measured by doing things differently from all its competitors. ACL has the most unique ships, sail to unique ports like Baltimore and transports oversized cargo that others cannot carry. Combined with the Grimaldi Group’s ever-expanding service network, the new G4s will enable ACL to provide even more services to more places as a high-quality container and RORO operator for many years to come.