EMEA News
LNG-Fuelled Car Carriers Ordered for Baltic
United European Car Carriers (UECC) has ordered two pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) that will be capable of operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to Nippon Yusen Kaisha Line (NYK) which is a partial owner of the short-sea shipper along with Wallenius Lines.
UECC ordered the vessels, which will each be able to carry about 3,800 standard vehicles, from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, with construction planned for NACKS shipyard in Nantong, China.
The ships will be delivered in the second half of 2016 and will have an ice class designation allowing them to operate in the Baltic area year-round.
"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," said UECC CEO Glenn Edvardsen.
"We are proud of the exciting step UECC is taking towards greener and more environmentally friendly shipping."
The vessels will also include design elements and technologies to reduce fuel use and emissions.
"UECC will be able to provide our customers with transportation in the Baltic area with unparalleled efficiency, reliability, and superior environmental performance," Edvardsen said.
The Baltic region is widely seen as a nexus for the growth of LNG bunkering, and Russia's Gazprom predicted last year that demand for the fuel in the Baltic and North Seas could hit 8 to 10 billion cubic meters by 2030.
