Car Carriers News

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has taken delivery of the LNG-fueled car carrier Cerulean ACE, built by Japanese shipyard Shin Kurushima Dockyard.The LNG-powered car carrier Cerulean Ace features an aerodynamics design - beveled top of bow - that reduces wind resistance by 20%, according to MOL.The breadth of the vessels was widened from 32 to 38 meters. The capacity has also been increased from about 6,400 to about 7,000 vehicles.The CERULEAN ACE is the 100th vessel MOL has ordered from the Shin Kurushima Dockyard Group.The vessel will transport cars…

Norwegian shipowner Gram Car Carriers announced it has refinanced the Viking Adventure with an undisclosed Japanese bank.The new $41 million loan has a duration matching the vessels current charter ending in mid-2028 and a margin of SOFR +1.73%. This compares a margin of SOFR +4.26% under the previous lease financing which was repaid earlier this year, the company said.“We are pleased to welcome one of the premier banks in Japan in our banking group as we optimize our capital structure and cost base to maximize profit and shareholder returns.

BYD's first chartered vehicle carrier has set sail from China's southern city of Shenzhen, carrying more than 5,000 electric vehicles to Europe, state media Xinhua reported on Tuesday.Chinese automakers including BYD, Chery Automobile and SAIC Motor, have been placing orders for vessels to counter rising shipping costs as they boost exports.The new roll-on, roll-off vehicle carrier named "BYD Explorer No.1" departed on Monday for Flushing Port in the Netherlands and the German port of Bremerhaven…

Automakers Tesla and Geely-owned Volvo Car said they were suspending some production in Europe due to a shortage of components, the first clear sign that attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are hitting manufacturers in the region.The United States and Britain launched a series of strikes on Yemen on Thursday, aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi militia whose attacks on international shipping have disrupted one of the world's most important shipping routes.Container shipping rates jumped…

Japanese shipping company NYK has unveiled plans to install a Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) system on LNG-fueled car carriers in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cut fuel costs.NYK said it will include a VCR system on LNG-fueled car carriers to be built by Shin Kurushima Dockyard, with the first vessel scheduled for delivery in 2026.The system is said to be able to adjust the air compression ratio in the engine combustion chamber to an optimal balance according…

Cargo owners seeking to determine their Scope 3 emission liabilities from the logistics chain must contend with multiple calculation methods from different shipping lines that will affect their costs exposure to the EU ETS for shipping. To resolve this conundrum for its clients, pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) owner and operator UECC has adopted a standardised methodology based on an existing and trusted industry framework.The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), set to be phased in for shipping from January 1…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) will install cameras and an AI system developed by Captain's Eye in the cargo holds of most of its LNG-fueled car carriers to provide early fire detection capabilities.The devices will be installed on 10 vessels currently on order and scheduled for delivery in 2024 or later, and the company will consider retrofitting current in-service vessels with the system.The Captain's Eye AI system sends an alert to crewmembers onboard the vessel and to the onshore ship management company when it detects abnormal images captured by the cameras.

Japan's NYK Line has recently taken delivery of the LNG-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) Sweet Pea Leader at Tadotsu Shipyard Co., Ltd., a member of the Imabari Shipbuilding Group. This is NYK's seventh LNG-fueled PCTC, with NYK planning to introduce a total of 20 new LNG-fueled PCTCs by 2028 as a bridge-solution to achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) by 2050 for the NYK Group's oceangoing businesses."Like NYK's other LNG-fueled PCTCs, the vessel was named…

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has been chosen to deliver RoRo equipment for two of the world's first methanol-fueled Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC) for China Merchant Energy Shipping to be built at China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. in China.The vessels are to be delivered to the owner between the third and fourth quarters of 2025.MacGregor´s scope of supply is to design and deliver the key components consisting of external and internal ramps, covers, electrically operated doors…

A Panamanian-flagged vehicle carrier vessel rescued three sailors from a Russian yacht that was mauled by sharks in the Coral Sea. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it coordinated the rescue after the Russian-registered Tion activated its emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) at 1:30 a.m. (AEST) on Wednesday.The distressed vessel, a 9-meter inflatable catamaran with three people on board, including two Russian and one French citizen, was sailing…

Safetytech Accelerator, a non-profit established by Lloyd’s Register, has confirmed that UK maritime insurers, the UK P&I Club and TT Club, have signed up for its Cargo Fire & Loss Innovation Initiative (CFLII).The Initiative, launched in February 2023, is a multi-year collaborative technology acceleration program focused on reducing cargo fires and loss in maritime and its impact. It is already supported by anchor partners COSCO Shipping Lines, Evergreen Line, HMM, Lloyd’s Register…

Greek shipping company Neptune Lines announced the order of two next generation car carrier vessels, specially designed for its short sea trades. Fujian Mawei shipyard in China will build the 4,200 CEU DF PCTC vessels for scheduled delivery in 2026.The new vessels, under the Genesis Project, are the first two of a new series which reflects Neptune’s strategy to supplement its fleet over the next decade, increase relevant cargo capacity by 36% from current core fleet vessels, and reduce emissions to remain well ahead of global targets.

Greek shipping company Neptune Lines will trial Maindeck's digital project management solution to plan and execute dry-docking projects.Neptune Lines provides transportation and shipping solutions for manufacturers and shippers of cars and high and heavy cargoes. Its fleet comprises 22 pure car and truck carrier vessels with loading capacities ranging from 1,500 to 6,500 vehicles.During the upcoming drydocking of Neptune Galene, Neptune Lines will trial Maindeck's platform to optimize its project management and enhance efficiency across all project phases. Features of the solution include advanced tendering, tracking and reporting capabilities.“We are proud to be working with Neptune Lines, one of the leading Greek ship managers.

Salvage and post-fire recovery operations continue on the Grande Costa D’Avorio car carrier at Port Newark as crews work to transfer vehicles and cargo from the vessel to the port facility.As previously reported by MarineLink.com, Grimaldi's cargo vessel Grande Costa D’Avorio caught fire on July 5 at the Port of Newark. Two firefighters died in the incident. The fire was extinguished by the morning of July 11.To date, all vehicles have been removed from the cargo decks of the ship…

Japanese ship leasing company Shoei Kisen Kaisha, the owner of car carrier Fremantle Highway, which caught fire off the Dutch coast last week, said on Friday it will investigate the cause of the incident in cooperation with relevant parties.The blaze broke out on July 26, killing one crew member and injured seven who jumped overboard to escape the flames. Local officials said the carrier arrived at the northern Dutch port of Eemshaven for salvage on Thursday.

A burned-out car carrier off the Dutch coast is being towed to port for salvage, Dutch authorities said on Thursday.The Fremantle Highway, which was travelling from Germany to Egypt when the blaze broke out on July 26, will be towed from its current location north of the islands Ameland and Schiermonnikoog to nearby harbour Eemshaven, the Dutch public works and water management ministry said in a statement."Most of the ship has now been inspected and there are no indications that there is still fire on board," Rijkswaterstaat said, adding that the situation on board is now stable.The fire aboa

A burning car carrier off the Dutch coast is being towed to a new location away from shipping routes as part of a difficult operation to salvage the ship, the Dutch water board Rijkswaterstaat and media said.The ship will be towed to a location 16 km north of the Dutch islands Ameland and  Schiermonnikoog, Rijkswaterstaat said in a statement on Sunday.The towing operation began on Sunday, and it was not known when the ship, which was traveling from Germany to Egypt when the fire broke out…

Electric vehicles are crisscrossing the globe to reach their eager buyers, but the battery technology involved in the zero- emission automobiles is exposing under-prepared maritime shippers to the risk of hard-to-control fires, industry, insurance, and emergency response officials said.That risk has been put under the spotlight by the burning car carrier [Freemantle Highway] drifting off the Dutch coast. The Dutch coastguard said the fire's cause was unknown, but Dutch broadcaster…

A burning car carrier was drifting off the Dutch coast on Thursday, the coastguard said, a day after the Panamanian-registered ship caught alight, causing the death of an Indian crew member and injuring several others.The 199-metre (653 ft) Fremantle Highway caught fire overnight Tuesday and several of the 23 crew jumped overboard to escape the flames and were rescued by the Dutch coastguard.The coastguard said on its website Thursday the cause of the fire was unknown, but an emergency responder is heard in a recording released by Dutch broadcaster RTL saying "the fire started in the battery o

A fire blazed on a cargo ship off the Dutch coast with nearly 3,000 vehicles on board on Wednesday, killing one member of the crew and injuring several others, the coastguard said.Several crew members were forced to jump overboard after the fire began on Tuesday night on the 199-metre (655-foot) Panama-registered Fremantle Highway as it was en route from Germany to Egypt.The Indian Embassy in the Netherlands said in a social media post the fire had "resulted in the death of an Indian seafarer and injuries to the crew", and that it was in touch with family of the deceased.

Norwegian shipping company Höegh Autoliners announced on Monday that it has exercised its option to construct four additional multi-fuel and net zero carbon ready Aurora class car carrier vessels at China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd (CMHI) in Haimen.This brings the number of total vessels under the newbuilding program to 12 vessels, all of which will be built by CMHI. Höegh Autoliners has an option to build another four vessels (vessels 13-16), as well as slot reservations for additional four vessels (vessels 17-20).

Ship operator United European Car Carriers (UECC) has bunkered sustainable biofuel for the first time in collaboration with GoodFuels and vessel owner NYK.GoodFuels delivered the B30 blend, 470 tonnes of VLSFO and sustainable biofuel, to time-chartered Emerald Leader in the port of Vlissingen in May. NYK, joint owner of UECC, is working closely with UECC to monitor the biofuel's performance.The use of sustainable biofuel on the Emerald Leader, which operates on UECC's North South Trade connecting the Eastern Mediterranean with Northern Europe…

Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), part of China State Shipbuilding Corp, has recently taken the lead in orders LNG dual-fuel pure car truck carriers (PCTCs), reports China Daily.The company now has contracts to build 25 PCTCs after a recent contract signing for three 8,600 ceu dual-fuel PCTCs for an unnamed Asian company. Other orders include three 7,000 ceu dual-fuel PCTCs with Guangzhou Yuanhai Automobile Shipping and three LNG dual-fuel 7,000 ceu newbuilds from COSCO.Of the yards 25 PCTC orders, 11 are being built for overseas companies, including South Korea's H-Line Shipping.