Great Ships of 2016: M/V Auto Eco
Since it started publishing in 1939, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News has recognized excellence in ship construction. This year 18 ships in total were honored, including many “world firsts.”
M/V Auto Eco - World’s First Dual Fuel LNG PCTC
Builder: Kawasaki Heavy Industries @ NACKS in China
Owner: United European Car Carriers (UECC)
United European Car Carriers (UECC), which is jointly owned by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Wallenius Lines, held a naming ceremony for the M/V Auto Eco, a s historic ship in that it is the first of two dual fuel LNG PCTCs with 1A Super Finnish/Swedish ice class. The world’s first dual fuel LNG PCTC M/V Auto Eco had her formal naming ceremony at the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium on November 21, 2016.
Dignitaries attending the event including: Claire Tillekaerts, CEO of Flanders Investment & Trade, is The Godmother of M/V Auto Eco; Geert Bourgeois, the Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, Flemish Minister for Foreign Policy and Immovable Heritage; Philippe De Backer, Secretary of State for the Belgian North Sea Coast; Reneet Landuyt, Mayor of Brugge; Ingrid Schulerud, Norwegian Ambassador to Belgium; Masafumi Ishii, Japanese Ambassador to Belgium; and, Joachim Coens, President - Managing Director, Port of Zeebrugge. “On March 6, 2014, in Oslo UECC signed a contract to build two dual fuel PCTCs with Kawasaki Heavy Industries at the NACKS yard in China,” said Glenn Edvardsen, CEO, UECC. “This was the start of an incredible journey - to construct the most technically advanced PCTC ever built, where the LNG installation would be a pioneering design and one of the largest employed on any commercial vessel, and the largest yet of its kind on a pure car and truck carrier. It is the first PCTC of its kind in the world to be fitted with a dual-fuel LNG propulsion system, allowing it to complete a 14-day round -trip voyage solely on LNG without refueling. Auto Eco not only meets existing emissions regulations but also exceeds them, allowing her to trade in any Environment Control Area, worldwide.”
To make sure the vessel can trade safely in icy waters, Auto Eco has been constructed to meet the highest ice class standard: Super 1A Finish /Swedish Ice Class. She may be scheduled to trade in the Baltic Sea, but Auto Eco is capable of sailing just about anywhere – including the Northeast or Northwest Passage if ever called upon.”
- 181 m long
- The world’s first, larges dual-fuel LNG PCTC
- Biggest ever 1A super Finnish/Swedish ice class PCTC
- 4,000 car capacity
- LNG fuel/marine gas oil/heavy fuel oil capable
- 14 day sailing capacity on LNG fuel
(As published in the December 2016 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News)