Norwegian shipping company Höegh Autoliners has embarked on the construction of twelve environmentally friendly next-generation car carriers. The company announced that on August 6, 2024, a naming ceremony for the first 9,100-vehicle capacity vessel, the “Höegh Aurora,” was held at China Merchants Heavy Industry’s yard in Jiangsu, China. Major Japanese shipping companies have also started deploying LNG-fueled car carriers in series.
Photo courtesy= Höegh Autoliners, Yara Clean Ammonia
The new Höegh Autoliners vessel is the first in the 12-ship “Aurora class” series, designed with a focus on environmental sustainability. It will join the fleet this month, transporting automobiles and construction machinery via sea.
The new vessel will utilize LNG (liquefied natural gas), biofuel, and low-sulfur heavy fuel oil, which have a lower environmental impact compared to traditional fuels. The series is also prepared for future transitions to even greener fuels, with classification codes for ammonia-ready and methanol-ready vessels from the Norwegian classification society DNV.
Of the twelve-ship series, the last four, scheduled to enter service after 2027, will be powered by green ammonia. For this purpose, Höegh Autoliners has secured agreements for the supply of marine ammonia fuel with Sumitomo Corporation and Yara Clean Ammonia.
The new vessels incorporate various environmental technologies, including 1,500 square meters of solar panels on deck and shore power supply equipment for use when docked. They are also designed to transport heavier electric vehicles (EVs) more efficiently.
At the naming ceremony, Höegh Autoliners CEO Andreas Enger said, “With the Aurora Class, we are pioneering efforts to combat pollution in a hard-to-abate segment. We are setting new standards for sustainable deep-sea transportation, making a significant stride toward our 2040 net zero emissions goal. As the largest and most environmentally friendly PCTCs ever built, the Aurora Class vessels embody the change our industry needs. This achievement would not have been possible without the support of the Norwegian maritime cluster, our trusted partners, and our investors. We are grateful for their invaluable contributions to this project.”
〆ホーグオートライナーズ（Höegh Autoliners）は次世代型自動車船１２隻の連続建造船の第１番船の命名式を中国造船所で実施した。
ノルウェーの自動車船社ホーグオートライナーズ(Höegh Autoliners )は環境に配慮した次世代型自動車船１２隻の連続建造を開始した。その会社は2024年８月６日、中国・江蘇省にある招商局重工（China Merchants Heavy Industry’s yard in Jiangsu, China）で９１００台積み自動車船「Ｈｏｅｇｈ Ａｕｒｏｒａ」の命名式を開催したと発表した。日本の海運大手もLNG燃料自動車船の連続投入を開始している。