UECC takes delivery of LNG battery hybrid PCTC
United European Car Carriers (UECC), owned by Japan’s NYK and Sweden’s Wallenius Lines, has taken delivery of the world’s first dual-fuel LNG battery hybrid pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), NYK said on December 2.
The vessel was built by Jiangnan Shipyard in China and will be named Auto Advance. The ship will be used to transport finished vehicles within Europe. It is equipped with a dual-fuel engine that can use LNG or heavy fuel oil. This is the third such vessel for UECC after Auto Eco and Auto Energy.
Additionally, the ship comes equipped with the world’s first dual-fuel LNG battery hybrid system, allowing the vessel to further improve fuel consumption by operating the main engine and power generation engine more efficiently than before, NYK said.
The battery hybrid system uses a combination of a shaft generator driven by the main engine and a battery to efficiently supply onboard power and reduce the environmental burden. In addition, in the event of a generator failure, power is supplied from the battery to the ship to avoid power loss.
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The use of LNG fuel, in addition to the battery hybrid system, to improve fuel economy, will result in virtually 90% less sulfur oxide emissions, 85% less nitrogen oxide, and 25% less carbon dioxide compared to conventional vessels fuelled with heavy oil, NYK said. The vessel will also meet the IMO’s Tier 3 NOx emissions limitations for the North Sea and Baltic Sea.