Deltamarin inks engineering deal for Höegh Autoliners’ multi-fuel car carriers

Finland-based ship designer Deltamarin has signed an agreement with China Merchants Industry (Jiangsu) for the design and engineering of the new series of Höegh Autoliners’ Aurora-class pure car & truck carriers (PCTCs).

Deltamarin has recently the completed conceptual design of the ships for Höegh Autoliners. The engineering contract signed with the builder, CMI Jiangsu shipyard, is a direct continuation of the work and includes a complete basic and detailed design of the vessels.

The Aurora-class ships will be “the world’s largest and most environmentally friendly” car carriers ever built, according to Höegh Autoliners. The ships will be powered by marine gas oil (MGO) and LNG and prepared with readiness for operation on zero-carbon fuels such as ammonia or methanol once these become more widely available.

Several other features are also included in the design to minimise the environmental footprint of the ships. Combining economy of scale with optimised and future-proofed ship concept results in the lowest greenhouse gas footprint per transported car in the industry, and a clear path to zero-emission operation.

The new vessels will be built by China Merchants Industry (Jiangsu) shipyard in Haimen.

“We are excited to partner with Deltamarin and China Merchants Industry to secure the delivery of the world’s largest and most environmentally friendly PCTC vessels already by 2024,” Andreas Enger, CEO of Höegh Autoliners, commented.

“The zero carbon ready Aurora class represents the future of our business and together with our trusted partners, we will make a significant contribution to a more sustainable maritime industry.”

The work will be carried out at Deltamarin’s offices in Finland, Poland and China and will have a significant impact on Deltamarin Group’s workload, the ship designer said.

The project will start immediately and continue until the delivery of the first vessel in the second half of 2024.