UECC invests in new-generation PCTCs

United European Car Carriers (UECC) has signed a contract to construct two new-generation pure car truck carriers (PCTCs) with China Ship Building Trading Co and Jiangnan Shipyard Group Co. The vessels will be equipped with a battery hybrid LNG solution, which will place UECC beyond IMO’s target for a 40% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030. The vessels will be 169m long and 28m wide, with a car-carrying capacity of 3,600 units on 10 cargo decks, two of which are hoistable. This will make the vessels extremely flexible and enable them to accommodate a multitude of high and heavy and break-bulk mafi cargos. They will have a quarter ramp of 160 metric tons safe working load and a side ramp of 20 metric tons safe working load, and will accommodate cargo units up to 5.2m high. To ensure a significant reduction in the environmental footprint, UECC, Jiangnan Shipyard and leading ship designer Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI) will build the PCTCs according to some of the latest and most innovative energy efficiency criteria. The vessels will meet the Tier 3 IMO NOx emission limitations coming into force in the Baltic and North seas from 2021. In respect of the 2021 CO2 reduction regulations, the vessels will also be equipped with dual-fuel LNG engines for main propulsion and auxiliaries. To make the vessels even more environmentally friendly and to cut CO2 emissions further, the vessels will also be equipped with battery packages. “We are investing in the future,” said Glenn Edvardsen, CEO of UECC, which is jointly owned by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Wallenius Lines. “Our solution will take us beyond IMO’s target of a 40% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030.” As more biofuels are set to become commercially available in the future, UECC aims to also use carbon-neutral and synthetic fuels as part of its future fuel mix. “In our strategy we take a long-term view,” said Edvardsen. “That’s why we go for a battery hybrid LNG fuel solution on our new-builds.” The new building contract has options for two additional vessels, the first of which is to be delivered in 2021.