Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd (NACKS) has recently commenced steel cutting for the construction of the world’s first dual-fuel Pure Car/Truck Carriers (PCTCs), capable of transporting up to 3,800 vehicles. The vessel is one of two to be built by NACKS for United European Car Carriers (UECC). Delivery for both vessels is scheduled for the second half of 2016.
The 43,200gt, 181m x 30m vessel will transport up to 3,800 cars on 10 cargo decks including two decks that are able to be adapted for variable height loads. The independently designed ice-strengthened ship (built to Finnish-Swedish Ice Class 1A Super) will have a MAN B&W 8S50ME-GI dual-fuel main engine rated for 11,000 kW at 113 rpm, giving a design speed of 18.6 knots. In normal operation at 80% MCR they will travel at 16.5 knots. For unassisted year-round operation the Baltic region, the ships will be .
According to MAN, these are the first PCTCs to be fitted with an LNG propulsion system, and to give maximum flexibility they will be capable of operating on HFO or MGO as well as gas. The ship will have sufficient LNG fuel storage to enable a 14-day round trip in the Baltic operating solely on clean fuel, including main engine and auxiliary power generation.
The ship has been designed to meet the International Maritime Organization’s and the European region’s increasingly stringent environmental requirements.
(Source: NACKS)
