UECC to launch latest hybrid car carrier
First of new hybrid vessels to be delivered later this autumn despite Covid set backs.
The European ro-ro specialist, UECC, has overcome Covid-19 restrictions in China and is getting ready to launch the second of its three LNG-fuelled, battery hybrid pure car/truck carriers.
The new vessels are being built at Jiangnan Shipyard at a cost of $50m per ship. UECC estimates the use of a battery hybrid solution will enable it to exceed the IMO’s target to reduce carbon intensity by at least 40% from 2008 levels by 2030.
Jan Thore Fos, head of ship management and newbuilding at the company said the building programme has faced “significant logistical hurdles” due to lockdown and travel restrictions in China.
“The newbuilds were contracted in 2019 just before the pandemic broke out so fortunately, we had equipment vendors in place, but the main challenge has been getting service engineers into China,” Foss said.
“We were initially forced to set up a temporary site team comprising solely Chinese nationals to get the newbuild project moving as flights into the country were cancelled.”
