Atlantic Container Lines (ACL) has taken delivery of the Atlantic Star, the largest combination container/roll-on/roll-off/ (CONRO) ship ever built.

The new ship, built in China, is the first of the company’s planned five-ship G4 fleet and will join the company’s transatlantic service in December. The remaining four G4 vessels will be delivered during the first half of 2016.

The unique design of the ship increases cargo capacity without significantly changing vessel dimensions, according to the New Jersey-headquartered transatlantic container, project, cargo, heavy equipment and vehicle carrier.

The Atlantic Star is a first-of-its-kind vessel incorporating a design that doubles container capacity to 3,800 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent units) in cell-guides on deck and offers space for 1,300-plus vehicles and more than 86,700 square feet available for the stowage of outsized ro/ro cargo, said ACL.

In addition, the ship’s loading/unloading ramps are wider and shallower and its decks are higher—up to 22 feet—with fewer support columns, enabling much easier loading and discharge of oversized cargo. Emissions per TEU are reduced by 65 percent.

The carrier’s current transatlantic schedule and port rotation will be maintained until all five G4 vessels are in service. Its new G4 schedule will be published in the second quarter of 2016.