UECC secures funding for battery hybrid LNG PCTCs

United European Car Carriers (UECC), jointly owned by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Wallenius Lines, said it has secured financing for its battery hybrid LNG pure car and truck carriers (PCTC).

The company said in its statement it has signed a contract to construct three new generation PCTC with China Ship Building Trading and Jiangnan Shipyard Group.

UECC has secured ‘Green Financing’ from Svenska SkeppsHypotek in the amount of approximately $70 million for the new vessels, a confirmed order of three vessels in total, being delivered from July 2021 and onwards.

Securing such financing makes UECC eligible for reductions in borrowing costs, the company said in its statement.

The vessels will be equipped with a Battery Hybrid LNG solution which will place UECC beyond IMO’s target for a 40 percent reduction in carbon intensity by 2030.

The vessels will have a length overall of 169 meters, a width of 28 meters and a car carrying capacity of 3 600 units on 10 cargo decks, of which 2 decks are hoistable.

This will make the vessels extremely flexible enabling them to accommodate a multitude of high & heavy and break-bulk mafi cargoes, which are cargo segments, in addition to the cars, that UECC has built a significant portfolio of over the years.

The vessels will have a quarter ramp of 160 metric tons safe working load and a side ramp of 20 metric tons safe working load and can accommodate cargo units up to 5.2 meters high.

The vessels will meet the Tier 3 IMO NOx emission limitations coming into force the Baltic and the North Sea from 2021.

In respect of the 2021 CO2 reduction regulations, the vessels will also be equipped with dual-fuel LNG engines for main propulsion and auxiliaries.