September 30 - United European Car Carriers (UECC) has taken delivery of the world's first LNG dual-fuel pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) from the NACKS shipyard in Nantong, China.
At 181 m in length and with a 30 m beam, the ship is the largest dual-fuel PCTC in the world, and the biggest ever PCTC with 1A super Finnish/Swedish ice class, claims UECC.
The ship is capable of running on LNG fuel or heavy fuel oil and marine gas oil, combining cleaner operations with greater flexibility and efficiency.
Boasting a capacity of approximately 4,000 car units, including 6,000 sq m of high and heavy cargo, the ship can load cargo on 10 decks with a maximum cargo weight of 160 tonnes.
Glenn Edvardsen, ceo of UECC, said: "We at UECC are very proud of the ship which NACKS has built for us. We look forward to show the world and the shipping industry that we are the game changer with the addition of this marvellous advanced PCTC with LNG Dual Fuel Technology. We realise the importance of this ship to KHI/NACKS given the fact that it was not only the yard's, but also the first LNG fuelled PCTC ever built. UECC will continue to maintain our reputation as the leading provider of short sea ro-ro transportation in Europe."
The new ship, one of two that UECC has contracted with at NACKS, is scheduled to be named Auto Eco in late November 2016 in Zeebrugge.
The two vessels will be put into service in Europe, where strict sulphur emission regulations have been introduced. LNG does not emit any sulphur oxides (SOx) or particulate matter (PM) and significantly less nitrogen oxides (Nox) and carbon dioxides (CO2) compared to conventional Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and Marine Gas Oil (MGO).
UECC is a leading short-sea operator and logistics provider for the transportation of cars, vans and high & heavy cargo in Europe. The company was established in 1990 and holds contracts with all the major vehicle manufacturers. With a fleet of more than 20 purpose-built vessels, UECC transports around 1.7 million car equivalent units annually. UECC also operates several vehicle terminals in major European ports. UECC is owned in equal shares by Japan's Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Sweden's Wallenius Lines.
