Another Electric/LNG Hybrid Car Carrier Adds to a Battery of Modern RoRo Ships

NORWAY – CHINA – United European Car Carriers (UECC), which mainly provides short sea RoRo transport throughout Europe, and is jointly owned by NYK and Wallenius Lines has, hot on the heels of an order for two new battery hybrid LNG pure car truck carrying vessels (PCTCs), now confirmed an option with China Ship Building Trading and the Jiangnan Shipyard Group for a similar craft, this time slated for UECC's Atlantic short sea trade.

Those two original ships, UECC’s first ECO-class vessels, grabbed first and second place in Bremenports’ Greenports Award 2018 for being cleanest ships calling at one of Europe's busiest ports. With the addition of battery hybrid technology, the three new ships raise the environmental protection bar even further. Battery power on the new vessels will improve operational efficiency and further reduce emissions through peak shaving, in addition to handling partial accommodation load and driving auxiliary equipment.

The new battery-hybrid solution will take UECC beyond the IMO target of 40% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030. The three vessels will also meet the IMO Tier 3 NOx emissions limitations entering into force in the Baltic and North Sea from 2021 keel lays. The new orders will push the UECC dual-fuel LNG fleet to five vessels, causing Glenn Edvardsen, CEO of UECC to wax lyrical on his company’s policy, saying:

“When our third battery hybrid LNG PCTC is delivered in 2022, it ushers in a new era for UECC and short sea shipping in Europe. That will give us a total of five eco-friendly vessels in our fleet. This represents more than 50% of the UECC owned fleet, and no other short sea company, or deep sea for that matter, can demonstrate such a sustainable fleet.

“This [latest] order is another step in our commitment to cleaner shipping. Our experience with LNG dual-fuel vessels has been good, and we want to keep moving forward to expand our sustainable fleet. 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. Batteries are a key step toward next generation sustainability, it also provides an option for reducing emissions while in port, and that is becoming more important for many cities.”

Photo: UECCs Auto Energy collected the ‘Most ECO Friendly Ship’ award at the Greenports Award 2019 from Bremenports.