Spotted: Crowley’s Giant LNG Engine Settles In

You don’t get the chance to see such a huge engine being fitted into place every day.

This state-of-the-art piece of equipment weighs 759 metric tons and measures 41 feet (12.4 meters) in height, 41 feet in length, and 14.7 feet width. The Man Diesel-built ME-GI engine will power El Coquí, the first of two new, Crowley’s Commitment Class ConRo (combination container and Roll/On-Roll/Off) ships that will be powered by liquefied natural gas for use in the ocean cargo trade between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico.

The giant engine was placed using a series of heavy lifts by 500-ton cranes in the shipyard of VT Halter Marine, a subsidiary of VT Systems, Inc., where El Coquí (ko-kee) and sister ship, Taíno (tahy-noh), are under construction.

These Commitment Class, Jones Act ships are designed to travel at speeds up to 22 knots while maximizing the carriage of 53-foot, 102-inch-wide containers. Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 TEUs, with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles in an enclosed Ro/Ro garage.

Image&Video Courtesy: Crowley