Atlantic Container Line (ACL) was projected in to households across the globe in 1982 when the 14,950gt/1970 built Atlantic Conveyer and sistership Atlantic Causeway were requisitioned to convey supplies to the Falkland Islands during the Falklands Conflict. On 25th May 1982 the Liverpool registered Atlantic Conveyor was struck by two Argentine air-launched AM39 Exocet missiles, tragically killing 12 crewmen. Seriously ravaged by fire, the stricken Atlantic Conveyor then sank whilst under tow on 28th May 1982. Her replacement was later built on Tyneside. That day in the Falklands Conflict also saw the loss of Type 42 Destroyer HMS Coventry. This piece of maritime history has stayed with the Writer ever since, making ACL stand out in a crowd. ACL’s formative years were 1965-67 when a consortium of five major European steamship companies joined forces to meet the high capital investment involved in building and operating an innovative fleet of roll-on/ roll-off containerships. This historic union, the first of the container age (long before mergers such as G6), resulted in the creation of Atlantic Container Line, serving the trade between Europe and the East Coast of North America. The Atlantic Span was the first of ACL’s four G-1 (first generation) vessels. These 700 TEU RoRo Containerships (ConRo) were unique in the world and dramatically changed the concept of transportation. Six 900 TEU G-2 (second generation) ConRos were added to ACL’s fleet from 1969, increasing the fleet to ten vessels. ACL then became the only ocean carrier to handle both containerised and non-containerised cargo with multiple sailings each week to/from every major port in Europe. In the mid-1970s the G-1 vessels were lengthened, increasing capacity to 1,100 TEUs. ACL also introduced a direct service to the Canadian ports of Montreal and Halifax. The 1980s began with intense project studies on the future G-3 vessel fleet that resulted in new building orders being placed.

Five 2,160 TEU capacity G-3 ConRo ships followed in the mid- 80s with the G-2 vessels being phased out and scrapped. The G-3s quickly became G-3Ls when lengthened to 292m long with a 3,100 TEU capacity. The G-1 members were subsequently phased out and scrapped. The company’s determination to succeed saw losses transformed into an almost double pre-tax profit in 1996 following a streamlining of operations. ACL moved to the Main List of the Oslo Stock Exchange and acquired full ownership of its fleet with the final purchase of the Atlantic Cartier from CGM. The Atlantic Concert and Atlantic Companion also received ISM certification. This process was completed in 1997 when the Atlantic Cartier and Atlantic Conveyor received their certification. In 2002 ACL Deutschland GmbH became a direct subsidiary of Atlantic Container Line AB and ACL began providing agency services for the Grimaldi Group in the northern UK. ACL also purchased the RoRo multipurpose vessel Grande Argentina and time chartered her to the Grimaldi Group.

In 2003 the Atlantic Cartier and Atlantic Conveyor were reflagged as Swedish vessels, putting the entire fleet of G3 vessels under the Swedish flag. ACL also purchased the Grande Brasile and time chartered her to the Grimaldi Group. Three years later the Grande Detroit and Grande Sicilia were acquired for long term charter to Grimaldi Group. In 2007, the operator’s 40th anniversary, ACL became a wholly owned unit of The Grimaldi Group. A record breaking cargo volume of 265,000 TEUs was also conveyed in one year. Fleet changes in 2008 included the purchase of the Grande Benelux and Grande Atlantico for long term charter to Grimaldi Group.

A Star Is Born

Following final-round bidding against two other Chinese yards and two South Korean contenders, New Jersey-based ACL awarded the contract on 20th July 2012 to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding to build five G-4 ConRo ships. This Shanghai, China, based facility was formed through the merger of Hudong Shipbuilding (founded in 1928 as Molleis Shipbuilding and Engineering Works) and Zhonghua Shipyard (1926) in 2001, creating the largest shipbuilding company in China and the second largest in the world. The yard has realised an annual shipbuilding capacity of over 2.2 million tons and, over the years of development, Hudong-Zhonghua has built more than 3,000 vessels of various types and made breakthroughs in many fields in China. The major production areas are located on both banks of the lower reaches of the Huangpu River, covering an area of 1 million square metres with a wharf length of 2,600m. Also present is a 360m x 92m dry dock, two 700-dwt gantry cranes, one 120,000-dwt class shipbuilding berth, one 80,000-dwt class shipbuilding berth, two 20,000-dwt class shipbuilding berths and varieties of modern day shipbuilding facilities, including flat panel production lines, large NC laser cutting machines, large NC milling machines and insulation box production lines for LNG carriers.

Fabrication facilities are also located on Changxing and Chongming islands allowing the shipyard to undertake all parts of the build process “in house.” Danish Naval Architect and Design specialist Knud E. Hansen (established 1937) was responsible for the basic design of the new G4 vessels and delivered to the shipbuilder a full basic design package, including: class drawings, general design of hull and outfitting, machinery plant arrangement, HVAC and electrical & automation design. Prior to the contract being signed, Knud E. Hansen A/S had worked closely with the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard, as well as in close consultation with the ship-owner, to develop and optimise the design to the client’s needs. The G4 product has been designed as a modern partly open top ConRo vessel carrying both containers and Roll-on Roll-off cargo. RoRo spaces are arranged around the mid-ship area and container bays arranged in both ends of the vessel. The vessels have adjustable RoRo decks plus many other innovations, and have far better energy efficiency than their 1984-85 built G3 predecessors. The design incorporates a transom stern, high efficiency rudder and single screw fixed pitch propeller directly driven by a slow speed diesel engine. The engine room is located aft and all living quarters including the navigation bridge are located mid-ship, on top of the RoRo garage.

The G4 Class is intended to trade on international voyages and has been designed for transatlantic operation with good seagoing capability and reliability, good manoeuvrability at sea and in port and efficient cargo turnarounds in port. The innovative design was the brainchild of international Maritime advisors (IMA) of Dragoer, Denmark, who successfully solved the problem of high ballast on ConRo vessels. Virtually all such ships today stow containers on deck and lighter RoRo cargo below decks. Because of the significant air space that naturally occurs on RoRo decks compared to the denser stowage of containers, most of the weight rides high on a standard ConRo vessel, requiring a great deal of ballast for stability. IMA developed the concept of putting all the RoRo cargo amidships, and stowing the containers in cells fore and aft of the RoRo section. This results in cargo replacing ballast and much more efficient use of vessel space. Steel cutting for the first G4 ship commenced on 2nd September 2013 with the keel laying ceremony taking place on 24th March 2014. The high strength steel used in construction included grades aH32, aH36, DH36 and EH36.

When the construction of the five newbuilds commenced in 2013, ACL’s parent company, the Grimaldi group, decided that ACL’s employees should hold a contest to name the new ships. Over 5,000 name proposals were received. Each national/international manager & department manager within ACL picked his/her favourite 25 sets of 5 names. The most frequently selected 25 name sets were submitted to Grimaldi group management in Italy, who chose the winner. The chosen names were the Atlantic Star, Atlantic Sail, Atlantic Sea, Atlantic Sky and Atlantic Sun. The winning names were submitted by Andrea Cox, who started with ACL in September, 1996. Andrea is a Customer Service representative at ACL’s Halifax Customer Service Centre.

G Is For Gargantuan

The G4 design has become the World’s largest RoRo Containership and the first of an all new form of ConRo. Each ship is 296m long with a beam of 37.60m, maximum draught of 11.50m, gross tonnage of 100,430gt and a maximum deadweight of 55,648. The first of the batch, Yard No. H1695a, had the name Atlantic Star bestowed upon her. The profile of the G4 is unmistakable thanks to the centrally located RoRo and accommodation superstructure and a regiment of cell guides on deck, marching towards the bow and stern of the vessel. These indicate the container stowage; a feature that ACL hopes will help continue its enviable track record of having never lost a container overboard in the last 30 years. There are nine cells both fore and aft for TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) and FEU (forty foot equivalent unit) containers. As already mentioned, the profile owes its existence to the innovative design that places all RoRo cargo amidships whilst stowing heavier, more densely-packed containerised cargo fore and aft, resulting in greater stability and a more efficient use of vessel space. The hull form, complete with a near vertical cross bow style bow contour, has a 10% improvement in speed compared to the G3 Class, yet fuel consumption per TEU will be reduced by 50%. The Atlantic Star and her counterparts boast a container capacity of 3,807 TEUs plus 28,900 square metres of RoRo space, with a car capacity of 1307 vehicles. Although only slightly longer than the G3 vessels, and with a beam of 37.6m compared to the G3’s 32.2m erstwhile Panamax gauge, the G4 breed offers twice the dedicated container capacity and significantly increased RoRo intake, with enhanced capability for project cargoes.

The forward cargo area on the Atlantic Star is exclusively for containerised freight, stacked up to 14 TEUs high (6 of the 9 cells) from deck 1 to level with Deck 7, with up to 13 rows of TEU/FEU per cell. The foreword most container cell carries TEUs (4 high) with the remainder catering for TEUs and FEUs. The second cell starts at Deck 2 (above the bow thruster machinery space) and the cell sited against the superstructure starts at Deck 4 above the front section of the RoRo garages. The aft container stowage includes five cells starting at Deck 4 (up to 8 containers high), two from Deck 1 and two from Deck 5, stacked up to 6 boxes high. Of the 3,807 TEU capacity, 2,763 are accommodated above panel and 1,044 below. In addition to this, 739 TEU can be stowed on the RoRo decks on roll/mafi trailers as follows: 124 on Deck 1, 179 on Deck 2 and 436 on Deck 3. This makes the grand total of 4,546 TEU including 209 reefer TEU that can be carried in bays 22-24 and 28-32.

The aft section of the ship is very busy as the space is shared by containers, RoRo access and machinery. Decks 1, 2 and 2a house the engine room and other machinery spaces. The single Hudong-Wartsila 8rT-Flex 68D marine diesel engine occupies Decks 1-2a and has a 22,000kW output at 95rpm. The cylinder bore is 680mm and the piston stroke on this 8 cylinder mechanical mammoth is 2,720mm. The engine powers a Wartsila CME Zhenjiang Propeller Co. Ltd. ABS-type 4 Ni-al bronze fixed pitch propeller. Auxiliary engines consist of two 2300kW and two 2075kW units operating at 720 rpm on HFO. A 2000kW shaft generator is also installed. The service speed is 18 knots at 90% SMCR, with the shaft alternator engaged, plus a 15% sea margin. The ship is fuelled by both HFO & IFO with fuel consumption being approximately 74 tonnes of IFO per day at 90% SMCR.

The ship carries 3,507 tonnes of fuel oil, 410 tonnes of diesel oil, 743 tonnes of freshwater and 216 tonnes of lube oil. Whilst in port, manoeuvrability is aided by two 1750kW transverse tunnel thrusters and another such unit in the stern. The Atlantic Star is also fitted with Alfa Laval PureSox single-inlet hybrid exhaust scrubbers to comply with the latest Co2 emissions regulations. The scrubber pump room is located on the port side of the engine room on Deck 3.

The RoRo access is via Deck 3 on the starboard aft quarter via a hinged 44.5m long ramp with a 2m flap and a width of 12.50m. With a safe working load of 420t, the Macgregor-Navire built jumbo ramp constitutes a departure from the axial stern ramp access incorporated in the previous generations of ACL ship. The incoming, wider G4 series employs an angled ramp of the same capacity as that of the G3s, although the stern door is narrower but with more headroom. Under the Macgregor brand, Cargotec has supplied the complete RoRo cargo access equipment, hatch covers, and cell guides for the G4 ships. The total deck space for RoRo traffic is 26,645m2 and the area of all internal ramps totals 2,255m2. The RoRo ramps are both wider and shallower on the G4 Class and inside decks are higher (up to 7.4 metres clear height) with fewer columns, making for easier loading and discharge of oversized cargo. The RoRo garages of Decks 1 (2,751m2) & 2 (3,575m2) are accessed via fixed and movable ramps from Deck 3. Deck 3 itself has a 4,542m2 vehicle deck. A hoistable mezzanine Deck 3a (3,145m2) is also installed. Deck 4 (2,508m2) is linked to Deck 3 by a fixed ramp with a 6.5 degree gradient. This garage also has a hoistable mezzanine Deck 4a (2,385m2). Decks 5-7 are linked from Deck 4 by 9.5 degree fixed ramps. The 1,408m2 Deck 5 also offers a hoistable mezzanine Deck 5a: (1,466m2). The capacities of the remaining decks are as follows: Deck 6: 1,497m2 + 1,610m2 mezzanine deck; Deck 7: 1758m2. Please see the information table for the deck loads, clear heights and vehicle types carried on the RoRo decks. With 7 decks for freight, atop of Deck 7 are Decks a & B where the crew accommodation can be found. Deck a, the lower of the two, offers the Mess room, galley, Hospital, Jail, Laundry, Stores, Day room and more. There are also 16 crew cabins and 3 driver’s cabins. On Deck B can be found the Captain and officer’s cabins, offices, stores, pantry, conference room, 3 driver’s cabins and the full width navigation bridge.

Time to Shine

The hull of the Atlantic Star was first floated on 18th November 2014 for an inspection with the ship being launched on 27th January 2015. The Atlantic Sail and Atlantic Sea quickly followed their elder sister with all five ships due to be ready by late 2016. Sea trials for the Atlantic Star were concluded on 7th September with sister Atlantic Sail doing likewise in mid-January 2016. Delivery of the Atlantic Star took place on 27th October 2015 and the ship departed from her birthplace bound for Hamburg where she arrived on 9th December at the Unikai Terminal. This giant of the ConRo sector then embarked cargo prior to joining ACL’s North Atlantic route, which serves Hamburg, Gothenburg, Antwerp, Liverpool, Halifax, New York and Baltimore. An east or west bound passage takes approximately 5 weeks.

** 5.5 t/m2 aft fr.108

*** 3 t/m2 for global strength and 10 t/m2 for local strength

HD = Hoistable Deck

Vehicle Types:

A: 80 tons fork lift

B: 60 tons fork lift

C: 100 ton roll/mafi trailer

D: 80 ton roll/mafi trailer

E: 40 ton roll/mafi trailer

F: 2 ton car

G: 120 ton roll/mafi trailer

H: multi axle trailer

I: double extendible semi-trailer

J: 20′ roll/mafi trailer

K: dumper

Special thanks must go to Knud E. Hansen, ACL & Grimaldi Group for all the invaluable assistance with information, diagrams and images.

Technical Specifications