WW returns to MHI for two more

Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA (WW) has placed an order with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for two additional car carriers at the yard in Nagasaki, Japan, for delivery in 2008. The ships will be sisters to the six Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC) WW has already ordered at Nagasaki, of which three have been delivered.

The new generation PCTCs are particularly efficient with regards to cargo capacity, cargo handling and fuel consumption. The vessels each have a cargo capacity of 6 550 cars. With this agreement, the programme is extended to eight ships and the vessels will be deployed in the Wallenius Wilhelmsen fleet.

Three of the vessels have been delivered, Torrens, Toledo and Toronto while the other five are programmed for delivery in 2006 (2), 2007 (1) and 2008 (2). The Torrens received a prize earlier this year for “a highly optimised PCTC design combining a novel arrangement of the double bottom, fuel tanks and solid ballast with a cargo space which maximises the cargo capacity and flexibility to carry a wide variety of ro-ro cargo”