UECC inks third battery-LNG PCTC

Photo: UECC

The subsidiary of NYK and Wallenius Lines has entrusted China Ship Building Trading and Jiangnan Shipyard with the delivery of another hybrid pure car & truck carrier (PCTC).

The 169 m-long and 28 m-wide vessel, a sister ship of two other PCTCs to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) with the support of battery power, will offer a carrying capacity of 3,600 units (up to 5.2 m-tall) on 10 cargo decks, of which two will be hoistable. All three ships will have a side and quarter ramp, of 20t and 160t of safe working load, respectively. The first hybrid PCTC is to be delivered in 2021, while the latest purchase - in the following year.

The battery system will be used for peak shaving as well as for handling partial accommodation load and driving auxiliary equipment (also during port stays).

"A ship is a significant and long-term investment. We wanted to expand the use of new technologies to meet or exceed future sustainability requirements, and we feel our choice with the first two LNG vessels has been justified over nearly three years of operation. This experience gives us the confidence to move forward with even more eco-friendly technologies," Glenn Edvardsen, CEO, UECC, underlined.

Apart from these three newbuildings, UECC already operates two LNG-fuelled PCTCs.