New car carrier ships to be LNG-fuelled

The 43,200 tonne ships, which are to be built at the NACKS shipyard in Nantong, China, will be 181m in length, with a 30m beam and will transport up to 3,800 cars on 10 cargo decks. The main engines are rated for 11,000kW at 113rpm, giving a design speed of up to 18.6 knots. In normal operation at 80% MCR they will travel at 16.5 knots, and for unassisted year-round operation the Baltic region, the ships will be built to Finnish-Swedish Ice Class 1A Super.

Glenn Edvardsen, CEO, UECC, said: “The LNG installation is a pioneering design and will be one of the largest employed on a commercial vessel and the largest yet of its kind on a pure car and truck carrier. We are proud of the exciting step UECC is taking towards greener and more environmentally friendly shipping.”

According to MAN, these are the first PCTCs to be fitted with an LNG propulsion system, and to give maximum flexibility, they will be capable of operating on HFO or MGO as well as gas. LNG tank capacity will be sufficient for a 14-day round trip in the Baltic operating solely on LNG, including main engine and auxiliary power generation.

Delivery for both vessels is scheduled for the second half of 2016.