NORTH AMERICA: The CG Railway joint venture of Genesee & Wyoming and SEACOR Holdings has taken delivery of two train ferries from China’s CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Co. Cherokee entered service between the USA and Mexico in September, and Mayan is scheduled to replace the current ferry Banda Sea in December.
The two new ships are 180 m long with a capacity of 135 wagons, a 17% increase on CGR’s previous ferries, and have a maximum speed of 14 knots, up from seven knots.
Cherokee’s first commercial serve left the port of Mobile in Alabama on September 12 with 122 wagons carrying commodities including chemicals, plastics, pulp and paper, agricultural products and food, arriving at Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz on September 15. It set off for the return trip on September 18, carrying 130 wagons.
‘We are extremely pleased with the Cherokee’s performance during its maiden voyage’, said Todd Biscan, CGR Vice-President of Sales & Marketing. ‘CGR is excited to enhance service quality to customers and safely move railcars from the USA to southern Mexico in three days with customs cleared en route.’
CG Railway is designated as a US Class III freight railway, and transports 10 000 wagonloads/year of diversified commodities on the 1 500 km route across the Gulf of Mexico.
President Hoffman Lijeron said the new ships would enable the company to offer greater capacity and more sailings per week, while generating lower CO2 emissions than land alternatives and its older ferries to provide ‘a long-term, sustainable supply chain solution for existing and prospective customers’.
