EMEA News
UECC Adds New LNG Vessel to Boost European Shortsea Trade
Norwegian shipping firm United European Car Carriers (UECC) has added another dual-fuel LNG pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) to its fleet to cater to growing demand in the European shortsea trade.
The 200 m vessel, Blue Heritage, has a capacity of 7,000 car equivalent units (CEUs), the firm said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.
"The addition of the Blue Heritage will increase to seven the number of UECC vessels traversing this busy route, which means we will be able to offer a sailing frequency of 4.5 days from Turkey to Northern Europe – the highest in the market," Per Christian Mørk, COO at UECC, said.
The vessel is equipped with dual-fuel engines that can operate on LNG, conventional marine fuels, and cleaner alternatives such as bio-LNG.
UECC has been an early adopter of bio-LNG, helping it generate a significant compliance surplus under the FuelEU Maritime regulation.
Blue Heritage will also support UECC's Sail for Change initiative, through which the company uses bio-LNG to help reduce scope 3 emissions for its customers like Jaguar Land Rover.
"This has been demonstrated through UECC's Sail for Change initiative, supported by major automotive manufacturers Toyota, Ford and JLR, in which LBM is being bunkered on other LNG-powered vessels in the UECC fleet," it said.
