Sea Star Line to add third vessel in U.S./Puerto Rico trade

Sea Star Line to add third vessel in U.S./Puerto Rico trade

   Sea Star Line LLC, the unit of SaltChuk Resources that provides services between the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico, said Wednesday it will add a third ship to its fleet.

   The 'El Faro' will begin service in March calling between Jacksonville and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sea Star will operate the new vessel seasonally with a Tuesday departure from Jacksonville, complementing the carrier's Friday and Saturday sailings from Jacksonville and Port Everglades, said Frank Peake, president and chief operating officer, following a conference on Puerto Rico in St. Augustine, Fla. Wednesday.

   The 'El Faro' is coming off charter with the Military Sealift Command, serving a series of 'rolling 60-day charters in the Middle East,' Peake said. The vessel, formerly the 'Northern Lights,' with a listed capacity of 820 TEUs, was operated by Totem Ocean Trailer Express, another unit of SaltChuk. Prior to the Middle East charters, the ship served in the Alaska trade from 1991 to 2003.

   Sea Star is sending the 'El Faro' to Atlantic Marine in Mobile, Ala., where it will undergo a $10 million reconfiguration from a pure roll-on/roll-off vessel to a ro/ro-container capabilities. Once reconfigured, the 'El Faro' will match its two sister ships' 1,200-TEU capacities.

   Peake said the new service provided by the 'El Faro' will offset some capacity purchased from Horizon Lines. Sea Star has taken about 450 FEUs a week from Horizon Lines. While Horizon Lines' modular vessels handle 40- and 45-foot containers, the 'El Faro' will enable Sea Star to handle up to 48- and 53-foot boxes.

   Peake said he anticipates the 'El Faro' will operate at about 50 percent capacity southbound in its seasonal service. Sea Star also plans to use the 'El Faro' to replace its sister ships in their existing services so that they can undergo routine drydocking.