Atlantic Container Line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Founded | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Olof Wallenius |
| Headquarters | Westfield, New Jersey |
Area served | North Atlantic |
Key people | Andy Abbott, CEO |
| Services | Freight transportation |
| Parent | Grimaldi Group |
| Website | www.aclcargo.com |
Atlantic Container Line is an American, previously Swedish, shipping company owned by the Italian Grimaldi Group. The company operates large roll-on/roll-off (RORO) container ships between Europe and North America.
ACL was formed in Stockholm in 1965 by Olof Wallenius who created a consortium, which consisted of four shipping companies, Wallenius Lines, Swedish America Line, the Rederi AB Transatlantic and Holland America Line, to handle both growing competition and the massive capital required in face of increasing containerization of the liner traffic on the North Atlantic. These were joined by Cunard and CGT in 1967.[1]
In 1976 ACL took over the Care Line, its ships, Mont Royal and Montmorency, and its direct route to Montreal.[1]
During the Falklands War the British registered Atlantic Conveyor and Atlantic Causeway were requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence. Atlantic Conveyor sank on 25 May 1982 after being hit by two Argentine Exocet missiles. She is the only British flagged merchant ship sunk by missile.
