As reported earlier, United European Car Carriers (UECC), jointly owned by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Wallenius Lines, has signed a contract to construct three new generation PCTC with China Ship Building Trading Co., Ltd and Jiangnan Shipyard Group Co. Ltd., the company said in its release.
Representatives from UECC, NYK, Japan Marine Science, MUFG Bank, DNV-GL, SDARI, CSSC and CSTC gathered at the Jiangnan Shipyard in in Shanghai on the 8th of January 2020 to witness and celebrate the steel cutting ceremony for UECC’s first Battery Hybrid LNG Powered PCTC.
"This steel cutting ceremony marks a very special moment of pride, joy and emotion for all personnel at UECC, both on land as well at sea. I have no doubt that this day will be seen as a significant milestone in our UECC’s history by the generation of people which follow. I therefore, feel specially privileged, to be present here at Jiangnan today to witness the historic inauguration of the work on our first of the three LNG fuelled /Battery Hybrid Solution vessels, by various distinguished personalities" stated UECC’s CEO, Glenn Edvardsen.
Mr. Edvardsen added "LNG /Battery/Hybrid installation will be a pioneering design. Needless to say this requires a highly dedicated group of Engineers along with great teamwork and cooperation by all. And I am pleased to say that I am very impressed with the teamwork that has been shown by all parties so far and which is crucial in the time to come, in order to be able to efficiently solve issues together as a team. As active members of society, we all have a shared obligation to do our part to create a greener, more sustainable world and hope you all really appreciate the exciting step UECC is taking towards greener and more environmentally friendly shipping.
Mr. Huang, President of the Jiangnan Shipyard Group, concluded "As the first dual-fuel + battery-powered hybrid ship in the world, the newly started 3600 CEU PCTC can meet the requirements of the full range while truly achieving ultra-low emissions and it is so advanced that its speed, oil consummation and environment protection level has walked at the forefront of the world. With the smooth steel-cutting today, Jiangnan Shipyard will also promote its brand power and influence in the PCTC construction market, and UECC will consolidate its leading position in global automobile transportation field".
UECC (United European Car Carriers) is a leading short-sea operator and logistics provider for the transportation of cars, vans and high & heavy cargo in Europe. The company was established in 1990 and holds contracts with all the major vehicle manufacturers. With a fleet of about 20 purpose-built vessels, UECC transports around 1.5 million car units, 30 000 high & heavy units and 300 000 tonnes breakbulk cargo annually. UECC also operates several vehicle terminals and break bulk terminals in major European ports. UECC is owned in equal shares by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), one of the world’s largest shipping companies, and by Wallenius Lines of Stockholm, Sweden’s foremost shipping enterprise.