Copán, the second vessel in Crowley's Avance Class fleet of LNG-powered containerships, has begun its inaugural commercial operations from the Port of Jacksonville, Florida (JAXPORT), further expanding the company's capacity and enhancing speed of ocean shipping for the Caribbean Basin.
Named for one of the most important archaeological sites of the Mayan civilization in Honduras, Copán was specifically designed to quickly and frequently deliver cargo while using lower emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) for fuel.
These capabilities make the Avance Class vessels — pronounced in Spanish "ah-bahn-seh" with the English meaning of advance — uniquely suited to quickly transport perishable goods like food and pharmaceuticals, as well as retail products, apparel, breakbulk cargo between the U.S., Central America and the Dominican Republic. The 1,400-TEU (20-foot equivalent units) ships can serve diverse container sizes for dry cargo and feature capacity for 300 refrigerated containers in their weekly port calls.
"Copán and its sister ships continue our investments to innovate our frequent and fast ocean carrier capabilities to meeting the critical needs of customer in the U.S., Central America and the Dominican Republic," said Brett Bennett, senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Logistics. "These vessels build on Crowley's decades-long commitment for diverse and robust supply chain solutions in the Caribbean Basin while advancing LNG as a solution in the maritime industry's ongoing energy transition."
With its name, Copán and its sister ships embody Central America's rich cultural heritage while reflecting the beauty and significance of this extraordinary part of the world. Not far from the border with Guatemala, Copán is a former citadel with public squares that reveal its three main stages of development before the city was abandoned in the early 10th Century.
Crowley initiated service of the first ship in its Avance Class, Quetzal, in April, and two more ships are expected to initiate service this year under charter with Eastern Pacific Shipping.
