Deltamarin wins contract for Höegh PCTC design

China Merchants Group ship design subsidiary, Deltamarin, has agreed a deal with China Merchants Industry (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd. for the design and engineering of a new series of pure car truck carriers (PCTCs) for Oslo-based Höegh Autoliners.

The marine engineering company has already completed conceptual design of the new Aurora class but will now continue with a complete basic and detailed design of the vessels as set out in a contract with CMI Jiangsu shipyard. The PCTCs will be constructed at the shipbuilder’s Haimen yard.

The Aurora class will be the largest and most environmentally friendly vessels of their type, Höegh said in a statement. Initially designed  to operate on marine gas oil and LNG, the ships will be capable of switching to zero-carbon fuels such as ammonia or methanol when the new fuels become more widely available.

Economies of scale and several ‘future-proofed’ features will facilitate the lowest yet greenhouse gas footprint per transported vehicle and enable a clear path to zero-emission operation, Höegh declared.

Deltamarin CEO, Janne Uotila, commented: “We at Deltamarin are very pleased with the contract for two main reasons. Firstly, we are proud that Höegh Autoliners trusts our ability to support them in renewing their fleet and enabling their path towards zero-emission operations. Secondly, we look forward to further developing the cooperation with CMI Jiangsu shipyard, providing them with engineering services and supporting them in the execution of this industry-leading newbuild programme of Höegh Autoliners.”

The contract will generate a significant volume of work at Deltamarin’s offices in Finland, Poland and China. Starting immediately, work will continue until delivery of the first PCTC in the second half of 2024.