Great American Lines, Inc. (GALI)

5 Becker Farm Road Suite 401, Roseland, NJ 07068, Phone: 973-740-0740, Email: gali@galinj.com

A Message from the President:

When our first vessel the M/V "Sunbelt Dixie" was first conceived, the US trade imbalance was relatively small but growing at an alarming rate.  One of the largest segments in the growing imbalance was the automotive sector.

At that time, most Pure Car Carriers (PCC's), carried cars to the USA, and returned in ballast.  Great American Lines (GALI) has developed a great deal of experience in carrying refrigerated cargoes from the U.S.A. to the Far East and Europe.  Drawing upon that expertise, the M/V Sunbelt Dixie was conceived to carry cars to the USA and refrigerated cargoes on its return voyage.

When the "Sunbelt Dixie" entered service in 1978 she became an actual example of "two-way" trade by carrying cars to the USA and returning with refrigerated products from the USA. Not only was this vessel the embodiment of this trade, but carrying cargoes in both directions was more economical as well.

The combination of a very clean refrigerated cargo with shipments of new cars yielded clean cargo spaces in both directions, thereby overcoming the problems associated with the carriage of cars and dirty bulk cargoes in car/bulkers.  In addition, the Sunbelt Dixie was designed to facilitate both the palletized loading of refrigerated cargoes and the roll-on/ roll-off (RORO) requirements of car carriage.  The result was a vessel that was not only efficient, but also capable of winning a number of awards for lowest vehicle damage percentage by a carrier.

This combination of low cost, excellent handling, and "two-way" trade enabled GALI to expand its business with the introduction of our second ship, the M/V Sunbelt Spirit (built in 2002), despite the changing volumes being shipped until "two-way" trade ended for this vessel in 2011.

The introduction of our second ship into the trans-Pacific trade was another step in our effort to provide secure, cost competitive, state-of-the-art, and logistically comprehensive ocean carriage for our customers.

Peter C. Johansen

President

Email: pjohansen@galinj.com

Last Reviewed: December 20, 2023