Crowley Maritime (Crowley) says the two vessels will be capable of carrying approximately 2,400-teu and nearly 400 vehicles a piece.

In a statement the Jacksonville, Florida-based shipowner indicated the  “Commitment Class” of con-ros are scheduled to hit the water in the second and fourth quarters of 2017.

Upon delivery it says the units will replace its towed triple-deck barge fleet, which has been linking the US mainland to Puerto Rico since the 1970s.

Crowley noted the vessels will be named El Coqui, which is a reference to several species of small frogs that are native to the island, and Taino, an homage to the indigenous tribes that ruled the region prior to the arrival of colonial settlers.

In Monday’s statement CEO Tom Crowley Jr pointed out that the orders are a reflection of his company’s ongoing commitment to customers in Puerto Rico, the environment and the 90-year-old cabotage law governing the coastwise shipment of cargoes in the US.

“Our actions are clear evidence of our commitment to the US maritime industry,” he said. “American built, crewed and owned ensures US shipbuilding capabilities, skilled US merchant seamen, and available domestic vessel tonnage, all of which are of vital importance to our national defense.”  

Crowley says the vessels were “brought to life” by Wartsila Ship Design and Jensen Maritime, its Seattle-based marine engineering subsidiary, and will be equipped with state-of-the art ballast water treatment systems in addition to features designed to reduce emissions.

According to vice president and general manager John Hourihan, the con-ros will offer faster transit times to Puerto Rico than its current fleet of tugs and barges and will be the only ships in the region with completely enclosed, ventilated, weather-tight decks for vehicles.

TradeWinds first broke news of Crowley’s appetite for a new series of US-flag boxships back in March. A few months later it announced the acquisition of Carib Energy, which set the stage for its entrance into the US LNG market and the launch of new unit called Crowley LNG.

Today, Crowley declined to shed light on price tag attached to the con-ros and did not indicate whether it intends to sell the Jones Act barges for scrap upon delivery. Industry observers note, however, that Matson’s $418m order at Aker is a good point of reference.