Crowley’s first new Avance class vessel enters service

Photo: Crowley

Crowley’s new LNG-fueled Avance class containership Quetzal has successfully begun its inaugural commercial voyage, opening the company’s next era of faster, frequent ocean shipping with a new class of vessels serving the U.S., Central America and the Dominican Republic.

With a capacity for up to 1,400 20-foot container equivalent units (TEUs), Quetzal and its three forthcoming sister Avance class ships are on long term charter to Crowley from Eastern Pacific Shipping, and were specifically designed to accommodate a variety of container sizes, including 300 refrigerated container unit plugs.

The Avance class – pronounced in Spanish “ah-bahn-seh” with the English meaning of advance – is well suited to quickly transport perishable goods like food and pharmaceuticals, as well as retail products, apparel, breakbulk cargo and other essential items.

Quetzal and its sister vessels also build on Crowley’s commitment to advancing LNG as a solution in the maritime industry’s energy transition. Built at South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, the Avance class ships feature high-pressure ME-GI engines by MAN Energy Solutions, that reduce methane slip to negligible levels and make these vessels the most environmentally efficient in their category. LNG itself lowers vessel greenhouse gas emissions, such as sulfur oxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide, while eliminating particulate matter compared with conventional diesel fuel.

Quetzal initiated service on April 11-12 at Port of Santo Tomás, Guatemala. Named to honor Central American culture and communities, the Avance class vessels are all expected to enter service with Crowley in 2025.

“Quetzal and the Avance class ships represent the next generation of Crowley’s innovation and leadership in supply chain solutions for international shipping in the Caribbean Basin,” said chairman and CEO Tom Crowley. “The vessels provide frequent service and greater capabilities to deliver cargo at peak timing while carrying forward Crowley’s high operational standards. With the company’s decades of service in Central America and the Dominican Republic, the Avance Class is a strategic investment by Crowley in the future of this international trade, setting a new standard for environmental efficiency.”