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UECC said in a statement that it is boosting sailing frequency and capacity on its North-South trading network with the addition of the dual-fuel LNG PCTC Blue Heritage, as well as another port of call in Turkiye, to meet growing demand in the European shortsea trade.
According to the firm, the 200-metre PCTC with capacity for 7000 CEUs across 12 decks – four of which are hoistable and suitable for High & Heavy (H&H) cargoes – is the sistership to the Blue Aspire, also previously taken under operation by UECC.
The 200-metre PCTC with capacity for 7000 CEUs across 12 decks – four of which are hoistable and suitable for High & Heavy (H&H) cargoes – is the sistership to Blue Aspire, also previously taken under operation by UECC.
Like its sistership, the Blue Heritage is equipped with LNG dual-fuel engines that are able to run on liquefied biomethane (LBM).
Blue Heritage will be deployed on the North-South route spanning the Mediterranean and Northern Europe that is also being extended with the inclusion of the Turkish port of Yarimca for regular calls, in addition to Efesan and Autoport in Turkiye.
This means there will be three vessels on a port rotation of Flushing, Zeebrugge, Cuxhaven, Vigo, Yarimca, Efesan, Autoport, and back to Flushing. Another four vessels will run on the port rotation of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Zeebrugge, Portbury, Vigo, Sagunto, Livorno, Piraeus, Autoport, and back to Cuxhaven, the firm said.
UECC, which is jointly owned by NYK and Wallenius Lines, did not provide further information regarding Blue Heritage and Blue Aspire.
VesselaValue data shows that China’s CIMC Raffles in Yantai built these vessels for Zodiac Maritime.
LNG-powered fleet
Last year, UECC ordered two more LNG-powered hybrid PCTCs with a capacity of 4,500 CEU in China.
The newbuild order placed with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Nanjing is for two firm multi-fuel battery hybrid vessels scheduled for delivery in 2028, with options for two more units.
If exercised, this would bring the number of LNG-powered newbuilds in the UECC fleet to nine after five similar deliveries within the past decade.
In October 2022, UECC took delivery of the third and final LNG-powered hybrid PCTC from China’s Jiangnan Shipyard.
With an overall length of 169 meters and a width of 28 meters, Auto Advance, Auto Achieve, and Auto Aspire each have a car carrying capacity of 3,600 units on 10 cargo decks.
The new vessels boosted the UECC dual-fuel fleet to five ships in total as it already operated two LNG-powered PCTCs, Auto Eco and Auto Energy, but these do not feature battery power.
