ARC Freedom Expands U.S.-Flag Fleet With New Sealift Capacity

American Roll-On/Roll-Off Carrier Group has added the ARC Freedom to its U.S.-flag fleet, bringing another large vehicle carrier into the Maritime Security Program as the United States looks to strengthen its commercial sealift capacity.

The 2011-built ARC Freedom (IMO 9505041), formerly the Wallenius Wilhelmsen vessel Figaro, is a Large Car and Truck Carrier capable of carrying nearly 8,000 car-equivalent units across 13 vehicle decks. Five of the decks are hoistable, allowing the ship to handle a mix of automobiles, trucks, heavy equipment and project cargo.

The vessel has been reflagged to the United States and will operate under the Maritime Security Program, the federal program that maintains a fleet of commercially active U.S.-flag ships available to support military sealift requirements during war and national emergencies. MARAD currently maintains 60 operating agreements under the program.

ARC Freedom’s entry therefore does not expand the 60-ship MSP itself, but adds newer tonnage to a fleet that MARAD has sought to recapitalize with younger and more militarily useful vessels.

“Adding the ARC Freedom to the U.S.-flag fleet is a major win for America’s national security,” Maritime Administrator Capt. Stephen M. Carmel said. “As a member of the Maritime Security Program, this vessel will deliver the rapid response our military depends on to keep America safe.”

The ship has a 6.5-meter-high main deck and door and a stern ramp rated for rolling loads of up to 320 metric tons. ARC said the configuration allows the vessel to carry everything from commercial vehicles and industrial equipment to military cargo including V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and CH-47 helicopters.

“Freedom has always been inseparable from America’s identity,” ARC President and CEO Eric Ebeling said. “As America marks 250 years of independence, ARC Freedom is a fitting name for a vessel that will carry the U.S. flag around the world, serving our customers in peacetime and standing ready to serve our nation when called.”

U.S. Coast Guard records show the vessel under the ARC Freedom name and U.S. registry this month. The ship measures about 231 meters long and was originally delivered as Figaro in 2011.

The addition continues ARC’s recent effort to bring newer roll-on/roll-off tonnage into the U.S.-flag fleet. In December 2024, ARC Endeavor joined the Maritime Security Program after being reflagged to the United States, replacing the older Endurance in the MSP while Endurance remained under the U.S. flag.

That followed the February 2024 reflagging of ARC Honor, another large car and truck carrier brought into the MSP after previously operating under a foreign registry.

The MSP remains a central part of the U.S. government’s sealift strategy because it provides access not only to vessels, but also to participating operators’ commercial logistics networks and U.S. merchant mariners. As of August, MARAD counted 190 U.S.-flag, self-propelled oceangoing merchant vessels of at least 1,000 gross tons, including the 60 ships participating in the MSP.

ARC, part of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen group, is the largest operator of U.S.-flag roll-on/roll-off vessels in international trade and also participates in MARAD’s Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement.

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