First of three battery hybrid PCTCs commissioned by UECC
UECC’s first dual-fuel LNG battery hybrid PCTC is set to start commercial operation
(Source: UECC)
European shortsea RoRo company, UECC, has taken delivery of the first in a series of three dual-fuel LNG battery hybrid pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) from China’s Jiangnan Shipyard. The ship’s design has been developed together with the shipbuilder’s in-house design outfit, Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute.
The 169m-long Auto Advance, with capacity for 3,600 vehicles on ten cargo decks, already exceeds IMO’s 2030 carbon-reducing targets with a range of innovative design features, UECC said in a statement. Besides LNG, the ship’s dual-fuel engines can also burn other low-emission fuels including biofuel, bio-LNG and synthetic LNG when they become commercially and technically viable, the company said.
In addition to its dual-fuel engine, the ship’s machinery setup includes an energy storage system (ESS) supplied by Finland’s WE Tech. Batteries from Corvus Energy can be charged by a permanent magnet directly driven by a shaft generator or dual-fuelled gensets, of which there are two on board.
The ESS provides power to the main switchboard with a DC link for power distribution, enabling peak-shaving for the main engine and auxiliaries, to save fuel and cut emisions. The ship also has a controllable pitch propeller, a bulb rudder, and a dual-fuel boiler. It will be capable of manoeuvring and undertaking cargo operations in port solely on battery power and can also connect to shoreside power networks where available.
UECC chief executive, Glenn Edvardsen, declared: “Having brought into operation the first-ever dual-fuel LNG PCTCs five years ago, UECC is now taking delivery of the first of three of the world’s first dual-fuel LNG battery hybrid PCTCs to be built. This is another big step forward in eco-friendly ship operations that shows we walk the talk.”
Edvardsen claims that UECC, jointly owned by NYK and Wallenius Lines, is currently the only shipping company in its regional market segment that is investing in sustainable newbuildings.
The remaining two PCTCs in the series are due for delivery in 2022.
