Crowley’s First Avance Class Vessel Begins Maiden Commercial Voyage

Crowley’s new LNG-powered 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 for the U.S., Central America and the Dominican Republic.

With capacity for up to 1,400 20-foot container equivalent units (TEUs), Quetzal and its three forthcoming sister Avance Class ships will provide more cargo capacity while using lower-emissions liquefied natural gas (LNG) for fuel. Quetzal and its sister ships 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 uniquely suited to quickly transport perishable goods like food and pharmaceuticals, as well as retail products, apparel, breakbulk cargo and other essential items.

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, built by Hyundai