On August 27, Alliance St. Louis, a Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) vessel, docked and loaded rolling stock cargo at APM Terminals Virginia, becoming the first roll-on/roll-off vessel to call the Portsmouth terminal since the container facility opened in July 2007. MLL and APM Terminals welcomed almost 40 U.S. military officials and guests to view Alliance St. Louis’ arrival and loading.
“The terminal has an excellent setup for transporting vehicles, helping to improve transit times, reduce costs and minimize handling,” said Ed McCarthy, senior director of terminal operations at APM Terminals Virginia. Approximately 225 trucks and vehicles loaded on Alliance St. Louis, of which about 75% arrived via rail. “We hope today’s loading highlights the flexibility of the terminal, and that we increase our role with the U.S. military for the movement of rolling stock.”
In February 2008, MLL brought in Alliance St. Louis and her sister ship, Alliance Norfolk, into its U.S. flagged fleet to meet growing demand for the transportation of vehicles, oversized, and non-containerized cargoes. The two vessels carry U.S. government, preference and commercial cargo. MLL operates the ships through an arrangement with Höegh Autoliners and Alliance Navigation, its U.S. affiliate. Both ships have the capacity of 6,500 car-equivalent units and over 580,000 square feet of total stowage space, and participate in the Maritime Security Program and the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement.