On Saturday, January 16, the Atlantic Star arrived at New Jersey Marine Terminals on her maiden voyage. The vessel is the first of five new ships to comprise Atlantic Container Line’s (ACL) G4 fleet. The Star was christened in Liverpool, commenced service in December 2015, and will register under the British flag with a crew of British sailors. The remaining four G4 vessels will arrive during the first half of 2016.

The Atlantic Star is a first-of-its-kind vessel, and the largest RORO/Containership (CONRO) ever built. Ships in the G4 class are bigger, greener, and more efficient than their predecessors. They sport a container capacity that more than doubles that of previous vessels at 3,800 TEUs, plus 28,900 square meters of RORO space and a car capacity of 1300+ vehicles.

Emissions per TEU created by G4s are reduced by 65% from those of previous vessels. Notably, the fleet continues to employ on-deck cell-guides. This feature should allow ACL to extend its enviable record of having never lost a container over the side during the past 30 years’ operations.

The first Atlantic Star, one of ACL’s G1 vessels, also flew the British flag. ACL’s current schedule and port rotation will be maintained until all five G4 vessels are in service. During the second quarter of 2016, ACL will announce its new G4 schedule.

ACL’s parent company, the Grimaldi Group, continues its long-term investment in ACL’s future. The Atlantic Star and its sister G4 vessels should dramatically improve ACL’s competitiveness in the North Atlantic. The new G4 fleet will enhance ACL’s cargo carrying capabilities and, combined with Grimaldi’s ever-expanding service network, enable ACL to provide even more services as a high-quality container and RORO operator.

Grimaldi and its ACL subsidiary maintain U.S. corporate offices in Westfield, NJ.